Dr Sigrid Nikutta, Member of the Management Board for Freight Transport at DB and CEO of DB Cargo, took a close look at the new brakes herself and even got stuck into the refitting process. She says, "We want to substantially increase the volume of freight using the eco-friendly rail system. For this to happen, we have to make life more pleasant for people living beside rail lines by using noticeably quieter trains. Our entire wagon fleet has now been fitted with whisper brakes, cutting noise levels in half."
More facts and figures about whisper brakesIt costs EUR 1,700 to install LL brake blocks in a four-axle wagon. This is about one-third of the price of composite brake blocks.
Of the 180,000 freight wagons operating in Germany, 63,000 belong to DB Cargo, representing about a third of the total number.
European funding from the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) was also granted for the conversion to quieter brake blocks. DB Cargo was awarded EUR 14.3 million for three projects to refit almost 54,000 wagons.Watch the video here (German only):
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