
Making Digital Automatic coupling a reality in Europe
Live broadcast sponsored by Shift2Rail
Screw coupling is still today the coupling standard for freight trains in European countries. Coupling is done manually by a worker who must climb between wagons to hook and un-hook them, requiring physically exhausting manual operation in a hazardous environment.
A more efficient, sustainable and competitive rail freight system is essential to meet the needs of both climate protection and rising transport volumes. Digital automatic coupling is an enabler to create a modern and digital European railway freight transport.
Our panel of experts will discuss their experience with freight operations and how could not only increase efficiency their efficiency thanks to automation processes, but it will also ensure sufficient energy supply for telematics applications, as well as safe data communication throughout the entire train.
Among the discussion points are:
- Making sectorial decisions on the DAC selection for Europe
- Producing a sustainable migration plan
- Use cases that benefit from DAC, who and why
- Standardisation as key part of the implementation strategy
- Next innovations and outlook to the future for more goods transported by rail

Shift2rail
Shift2Rail is the first European rail initiative to seek focused research and innovation (R&I) and market-driven solutions by accelerating the integration of new and advanced technologies into innovative rail product solutions. Shift2Rail promotes the competitiveness of the European rail industry and meets changing EU transport needs. R&I carried out under this Horizon 2020 initiative develops the necessary technology to complete the Single European Railway Area (SERA).
Moreover, Shift2Rail has ambitious targets and a robust framework in which to meet them. Specifically, the initiative aims to double the capacity of the European rail system and increase its reliability and service quality by 50 %, all while halving life-cycle costs.
Speakers
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CloseMr Carlo Borghini was appointed Executive Director of the Shift2Rail Joint Undertaking on 16 February 2016 and is responsible for the overall management of the S2R JU activities.
Prior to this posting, Mr Borghini was EDA Corporate Services Director, where he was responsible for the management of financial and human resources, as well as programme management and administrative issues.
Previously, Mr Borghini held the position of Deputy Executive Director for the SESAR Joint Undertaking (SJU) in Brussels from 2008 to 2014. In this capacity, he had specific responsibilities for corporate governance, administration and finance while contributing the overall management of the programme. More specifically, he managed a budget amounting to over €2 billion, with a portfolio of more than 300 different projects undertaken by the 16 SJU Members.
Prior to that, Mr Borghini was Director and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) for the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), a specialised Agency of the United Nations based in Roma, Italy. In this position he managed an annual budget of about $200 million, with an overall portfolio of around $9 billion of on going loans.
From 2001 to 2006, Carlo Borghini worked at the European Commission’s, until 2005 as Internal Audit Supervisor within DG AGRI and after as Head of Internal Audit Unit in DG BUDG.
Before he joined the EU institutions, Mr Borghini held several finance-related positions in the private sector. From 1999 to 2001, he worked as Director, CFO and Country Controller for American Express Bank in Luxembourg. From 1997 to 1999, he was Director Financial Controller for Sopaf Group in Milano, Italy.
Born in Italy on 1 September 1964, Mr Borghini holds a Master Degree equivalent in Business Economics. He is a native speaker of Italian and also possesses an excellent proficiency in French. He is married with three children.
Constanze Bannholzer comes from Vienna. Since 2021 she has been working in ÖBB Holding as project manager for Digital Automatic Coupling (DAC) supporting strongly the European DAC Delivery Programme (EDDP), enabled by Shift2Rail, which offers a unique platform dedicated to the successful implementation of DAC as a means to revolutionise rail freight systems in Europe. After completing her bachelor studies at the Vienna University of Economics and Business, she studied environmental and bioresource management with a focus on transportation and mobility. After she devoted herself to representing the interests of the public sector at an association, she dealt with the rail sector in the intermodal area. Because of her passion for the international environment, she moved to work at UIC in Paris as Senior Freight Advisor. At UIC Constanze was working as project manager for European projects and responsible for the management of working groups dealing with combined transport and quality. Constanze is a rail enthusiast business economist with a strong belief in sustainable development through the potential of the rail system, which can still be exploited.
Mr. Gilles Peterhans studied finance and economics at the University of St. Gallen ‐ School of Management, Economics, Law, Social Sciences and International Affairs (HSG) in Switzerland. After he graduated in 2001, he transitioned through various field of operating positions in the railway industry. In 2003, he joined a Swiss rolling stock leasing company and was shortly promoted to the position of Chief Executive Officer. In 2005, he took over the CEO responsibilities of a newly founded Swiss railway undertakings. Recently, Mr. Peterhans focused on originating and executing private placements and was involved in merger acquisitions transactions. Since January 2013, he acts as Secretary General of UIP, the International Union of Freight Wagon Keepers.