The German Ministry of Transport allocated 8.25 million euros to “continue and complete the demonstration, testing and approval” of the Digital Automatic Coupling (DAC). The funds will be used to support the DAC4EU consortium, one of the many initiatives tied to this technology, but it is unclear what they will specifically be used for.
“With the new funds, the DAC4EU consortium can continue to support the DAC towards series production and deployment in European rail freight transport”, DB Cargo highlighted, adding that from 2026 there will be 100 trains equipped with DAC running throughout Europe. Further specifics on this support, however, were not provided.
Skepticism still persists
Lack of clarity on the project remains one of the main points of criticism raised by those who are not so much in favour of DAC. Last week, DAC tests started in Sweden to assess how trains equipped with the coupler perform under harsh weather conditions. On the other hand, some industry players lamented that these tests remain unclear, as there seems to be no mention of important aspects such as shunting or coupling.
Moreover, associations throughout Europe are worrying about the project’s rising costs and a possibly unrealistic timeline for DAC deployment. Some urge for a new Cost-Benefit Analysis, others are asking to put the project on hold until the rail freight sector is in a better financial position. Those in favour, however, keep underlining how beneficial DAC will be in speeding up operations and favouring the modal shift to rail.