DB Cargo is partnering with the Bosch group to launch the series production of automated shunting locomotives. The German operator expects approval from the country’s Federal Railway Authority at the end of 2027 and starts deployment in its yards by 2028.
“DB Cargo has commissioned Bosch Engineering GmbH and ITK Engineering GmbH, both wholly owned subsidiaries of Robert Bosch GmbH, with the development of the fully automated hump locomotive for series production”. Deutsche Bahn (DB) said. The former Bosch subsidiary is working on an automation unit, including sensors and algorithms, while the latter is developing the station for line-side use.
DB Cargo has been working on the implementation of automated shunting locomotives since the end of 2020, when it was granted seven million euros from the German government. The tests were run over the last four years at the Munich-North yard, where there are already shunting locomotives running on HVO.
Similar tests in the Netherlands
Germany is not the only EU country experimenting with the automation of these types of locomotives. In the Netherlands, for example, infrastructure manager ProRail, private operator Lineas and French manufacturer Alstom have been testing driverless shunting locomotives in Oosterhout, not too far from Rotterdam, the Netherlands.