POLISH company Nevomo’s MagRail Booster technology
has successfully gone through independent testing and certification by the
German assessment company TÜV Rheinland and the Austrian railway certification
company PJ Motion. Nevomo says it will make MagRail Booster available during
2024.
Unveiled for the first time at September’s Trako
Railway Fair in Gdańsk, Poland, MagRail Booster claims to be the world’s first
system for converting existing freight wagons and passenger coaches into
autonomous vehicles by adding a linear motor. This provides the electromagnetic
propulsion necessary to do away with locomotives and run each vehicle remotely
on existing railways, either independently or as trains. Benefits also include
a promise to be able to optimise rail traffic by more precise operation,
according to the company.
Tests of the system with retrofitted GATX wagons
have been taking place at Nevomo’s test track in Nowa Sarzyna, Poland.
TÜV Rheinland and PJ Motion were able to show that
the technology complies with Cenelec standards for railway applications and the
CSM railway directive, demonstrating that the system meets safety requirements.
“Cutting-edge technology and materials are key to
improving the performance of railway systems and subsystems,” says Mr Lars
Walther, global field manager for rail at TÜV Rheinland. “Our certification can
lead to the market fully adopting this new product.”
Nevomo is already preparing for what it hopes to be
a sales success by naming its co-founder and chief business development
officer, Mr Stefan Kirch, as the company’s new chief commercial officer, as
well as recruiting railway business professionals, Mr Harj Dhaliwal and Mr
Eliseo Auciello, as its respective new chief business and capital programmes
officer and chief technology officer.
“Our partnership with TÜV Rheinland and PJ Motion
marks a next major step in Nevomo's journey,” Walther says. “As we move from
research and development to commercialisation, this collaboration will ensure
that MagRail Booster is not only an innovative product, but also a benchmark
for safety, efficiency and reliability in rail transport.”
