The Marathon Project has been launched in 2011 to increase European rail freight efficiency and competitiveness. It aims to develop technologies allowing longer, faster and heavier trains to be put into service with minimal impact on existing infrastructure.

A first trial test has been successfully performed on 18 January. For the first time, SNCF, RFF, Faiveley Transport, and 13 other partners, have run a 1500m long train between Sibelin (near Lyon) and Nimes.

Two trains of 750m each have been paired to form a single 1500m one. In this train, the Master locomotive, led by a driver, has been connected to the Slave locomotive, located in the middle of the train with no driver on board, through a remote safe radio control.

For this major technical achievement, Faiveley Transport has played a relevant role providing specific braking systems designed to fit on existing locomotives, without interfering with existing braking systems, allowing a quick locomotive upgrade to the Marathon system:

  • DPCU, Distributed Power Control Unit, installed on Master and Slave Locomotives, in charge to safely coordinate the Traction/Braking commands between the two locomotives through the Safe Radio Control. In addition DPCU provides Slave Locomotive management in case of radio degraded modes such as radio failure and loss of communication.
  • ECBS, Electronic Controlled Brake System, based on pneumatronic technology, in charge to manage the brake pipe according to DPCU decided strategy
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