A rail transport system automates control of the wagon composition of a convoy of wagons by employing an existing network infrastructure. The system includes a central provider system that collects information regarding transport needs of users and controls overall operation of the system; a first peripheral system fixed in every station of the rail network and is configured to interact with the central provider system to compose the wagons of the convoy and exchange information with the wagons in the station to coordinate their movements in the station; a mobile second peripheral system located on each of the wagons and configured to coordinate the movements of the wagon; and a mobile third peripheral system on the locomotive of the convoy and configured to interact with the central provider system and the first peripheral system to define the convoy composition and coupling/uncoupling of selected ones of the wagons along a route.