PARIS (Agefi-Dow Jones)–Technology and defense group Thales announced on Wednesday the signing of a memorandum of understanding with German automotive and rail equipment manufacturer Knorr-Bremse to cooperate in the development of driving solutions Automatic (ATO) for locomotive-hauled freight and passenger trains.
The financial terms of this memorandum of understanding have not been disclosed.
The two groups aim to develop automated functions as part of the so-called “Digital Freight Train” (DFT) project.
“Automated train driving will greatly help drivers in their daily work and will also contribute to combating the shortage of personnel which threatens the sector, while improving the efficiency, punctuality and competitiveness of freight,” Thales said in a statement. A press release.
The French group recalled that in view of the 2030 climate objectives, namely a reduction of at least 18% in transport-related emissions (European Commission 2020), it was imperative to modernize the rail freight sector and to be able to thus shifting a large part of the volume of goods from trucks and planes to green, rail-based transport.
Rail transport consumes 12 times less energy and emits up to 11 times less CO2 per passenger-kilometre than cars and trucks, Thales said, citing figures from the International Energy Agency (IEA).
-Pierre-Jean Lepagnot, Agefi-Dow Jones +33 (0)1 41 27 48 19; [email protected] ed: ECH
Agefi-Dow Jones The financial newswire
Dow Jones Newswires
November 02, 2022 05:53 ET (09:53 GMT)