Norway moves DAC towards commercial testing
NORWAY: Norway is testing Digital Automatic Coupling (DAC) in winter conditions ahead of a planned Bergen Line freight test in 2027–2028.
According to Jernbanedirektoratet, DAC couplings are being tested in Norway this winter as part of the Europe’s Rail Joint Undertaking FP5-TRANS4M-R programme. The work is intended to confirm that wagons can be coupled and split, and that electricity and data can pass between them in harsh winter conditions over the mountains.
One of the current DAC tests in Norway was carried out by CargoNet AS in collaboration with Trafikverket and other international partners. It is part of a wider test programme also running in several European countries.
Bergen Line to carry Norway’s DAC freight test
Jernbanedirektoratet says the next step will be pre-deployment, the phase between technical testing and wider commercial use. Under the DAC Pioneer Trains (PioDAC) project, DAC equipment is due to be tested in seven commercial freight train operations across eight European countries.
In Norway, Onrail has taken on that role in collaboration with Jernbanedirektoratet. One of the operator’s freight trains on the Bergen Line is due to run with DAC couplers in 2027–2028 to test the system in Norwegian operating conditions.
A screengrab from a Jernbanedirektoratet video shows DAC couplers during testing in Norway ahead of Onrail’s Bergen Line DAC test in 2027–2028. Source: Jernbanedirektoratet.