Talgo automatic gauge change system for freight wagons

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Talgo automatic gauge change system for freight wagons

Gomez, J L Lopez / Aísa, J Lacasta

Between 1970 and 1995, road freight transport in Europe increased by 150 per cent. Existing road infrastructures are saturated, and the environmental impact is enormous. The best solution is to promote international rail freight transport, but the efforts of the European Union to solve the bureaucratic problems at borders are not sufficient. The efficiency of the railways has to be increased, and therefore interoperability problems between the different networks have to be solved. Talgo has designed an automatic gauge change system that allows the transit of freight wagons on networks with different gauges without interruption of the journey or transfer of the freight. The first advance, demonstrating the importance of railways as an efficient means of transportation for freight, is already available. This article includes a technical description of the automatic gauge change system as well as the test carried out for its approval process.