Virtually coupled train formations : an approach for enhancing freight rail traffic.

The contribution reports on recent research work on an innovative concept in freight rail traffic. By using and widening state of the art technologies, especially in the field of communication and navigation, new strategies in organizing rail traffic become possible, such as the idea of virtually coupled train formations (VCT), which features compact and automated module trains able to combine themselves dynamically during the trip. The paper discusses the basic concept, the methodological approach and actual results demonstrating the functionality of the concept. Moreover, it briefly describes technological developments especially in the field of wireless communication. For the covering abstract see ITRD E209471.