Latest insight.

GoLink Advisory Group has begun work with RSSB on the COF-HSF programme, a pioneering initiative focused on defining the wheel-rail interface and vehicle dynamics requirements for higher-speed intermodal freight operations.

‍

Drawing on GoLink’s deep expertise in freight rolling stock, rail freight strategy and commercial innovation, the project aims to establish industry standards necessary for safely and reliably operating intermodal wagons at higher speeds than today’s norm.

GoLink’s role includes synthesising primary research and delivering industry insights, whilst providing common and emerging vehicle operating parameters to help shape a clear set of performance and design requirements that manufacturers, operators, regulators, and standards bodies can confidently adopt.

‍

This work represents a major step toward enabling a new generation of optimised logistics capability in the UK. By understanding in detail how wagon running gear, bogie design, suspension characteristics, and wheel-rail interaction behave at higher speeds, the project aims to unlock the potential for intermodal traffic to run at up to 90mph and integrate more efficiently with passenger services on heavily congested, mixed-use corridors.

‍

GoLink’s involvement is alongside University of Huddersfield’s Institute of Railway Research, FOCs and Network Rail, to ensure the programme remains grounded in industry needs, commercial feasibility, and real-world freight operating conditions, helping RSSB and the wider sector build a robust pathway toward faster, more flexible, and more competitive rail freight services.