VÄTE Trafik has ordered a digital shunting tool from Railway Metrics & Dynamics to move away from the current manual processes. Delivery is scheduled for mid-December.
VÄTE Rail has already purchased around 100 PMUs for its wagons and 20 locomotives. The shunting tool is being acquired to further the company's digitalization journey and fits seamlessly into the "system-of-systems" that RMD currently delivers. Besides an initial purchase cost, the shunting tool will be financed through a daily rental fee.
On January 1, 2025, VÄTE Rail will take over the shunting of steel trains in Borlänge and Oxelösund for SSAB. The five-year contract was significant enough to prompt the creation of a new sister company, VÄTE Trafik. The shunting operations in Borlänge involve approximately 50 employees, with five locomotives in constant use for these activities.
Before trains can depart, the composition of the train, the individual weight of each wagon, and the type of goods must be declared. These details must align with several parameters, such as the locomotive's traction capacity, braking capabilities, and the track profile.
RMD is now developing a tool that will streamline the process of scanning and consolidating data from various sources into a unified interface. The train dispatcher can then use drag-and-drop functionality to configure the new train sets. The system automatically balances all governing parameters and alerts users if any data, such as wagon weight, is missing or incorrect.
- It's encouraging to see Swedish rail operators turning to us for assistance with digitalization challenges. This is part of our `system-of-systems,' and we can easily develop this tool based on the work we've already accomplished in automated wagon detection. It provides a simple solution to a concrete problem that exists today, says Jan Lindqvist, CEO of Railway Metrics and Dynamics.