DB Cargo has partnered with subsidiaries of the technology and engineering firm Bosch, and the German federal government, to develop an automated heavy shunter locomotive. 

The fully-automated hump shunter prototype has already been tested at the Munich North marshalling yard. 

Bosch Engineering and ITK Engineering are the Bosch companies working with Germany’s main rail freight provider to develop the new machine. 

Bosch Engineering is working on an automation unit, with sensors and algorithms built in for environment perception, that will allow shunting operations to be completely autonomous. ITK is developing the operator workstation for line-side use, which will handle the input and management of required movements and transmit the information to the hump locomotive. The partnership is set to continue until October 2027, when it is expected the shunter will be granted approvals by the German Federal Railway Authority. 

The firms are planning to roll the new shunter out across German freight yards in 2028. 

“Intelligent software is one element at the core of this progression in automation. We are looking forward to contributing our expertise in software and system development for rail vehicles," explained Frank Schmidt, CEO of ITK Engineering. 

Sigrid Nikutta, CEO of DB Cargo and board member for freight at Deutsche Bahn said: "With the development of the fully automated hump locomotive, we are embarking upon a new chapter in the digitalisation and automation of rail freight transport. This will create more profitability for DB Cargo and higher quality in operations, thus contributing fittingly to the DB Group's S3 turnaround programme. 

“Our customers will benefit from faster and more flexible handling of their consignments," they added. 

The German Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport is funding the automated locomotive project.