Energy savings through innovative and automated freight trains

The paper focuses on a particular technology, an intelligent rail wagon. It is a smart wagon characterized by a high level of automation. The wagon is transformed from a passive element into an intelligent element, guaranteeing a reduction in costs and greater management efficiency both at the interchange terminals and on track. The potential energy savings are very interesting.The main goals of the research are to contribute at enhancement of international knowledge about innovative and automated freight wagons, in the most general framework of researches oriented to the future autonomous freight trains and to illustrate, specifically, the positive impacts in term of energy savings.