Showing papers on "Rail freight transport published in 2011"

TrainDy: the new Union Internationale des Chemins de Fer software for freight train interoperability

Abstract: The increasing demand of long and interoperable freight trains requires suitable numerical simulators of train longitudinal dynamics. Focusing attention on the European railway freight transport, s...

Potential of modal shift to rail transport: study on the projected effects on GHG emissions and transport volumes

Abstract: This report investigates the greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction potential of a modal shift to rail. It covers both freight and passenger transport and focuses on medium- to long-distance transport. It includes an assessment of existing studies on overall modal shift potential, an assessment and extrapolation of illustrative case studies and an analysis of existing and future infrastructure capacity. The assessment of existing studies affirms that rail freight transport has a significant potential. Studies show that the maximum potential share of rail freight transport in the relevant market is in the range of 31-36 per cent, compared with 18 per cent today. This would imply that rail becomes the dominant transport mode for long-distance transport. While other studies have reported more limited effects, these have generally only considered isolated (policy) measures. To assess the extent to which the maximum potential can be indeed instrumented by government policy and supply-side measures would require investigation beyond the scope of the present study, however.

Track Allocation in Freight-Train Classification with Mixed Tracks

Abstract: We consider the process of forming outbound trains from cars of inbound trains at rail-freight hump yards. Given the arrival and departure times as well as the composition of the trains, we study t ...

Analysis and Evaluation of Double-Ended Flat-Shunted Yard Performance Employing Two Yard Crews

Abstract: The yards are facilities that reassemble inbound freight train cars into outbound freight trains. These facilities play an essential role for providing the freight transportation service by rail, however, they are nonrevenue producing elements for the railway freight companies and therefore keeping them unutilized is not acceptable. In this paper, a double-ended flat-shunted yard has been studied by discrete-event-based simulations. The results obtained demonstrate significantly low utilization levels of the subsystems of this yard. Therefore, a possible reduction of floating resources is investigated.

Railway reform in South East Europe and Turkey : on the right track?

Abstract: The railways of South East Europe and Turkey experienced significant declines in traffic volumes in 2009. This reflected the impact of the international financial crisis unleashed in the last quarter of 2008 and its contractionary impact on the economies of the region and elsewhere. Lower traffic volumes translated in most cases into a serious deterioration of the financial performance of the state-owned railways. This brought home the costs of failing to implement essential reforms to improve the operational and financial performance of the sector when the economy was strong. In Romania in 2010, large-scale layoffs were announced at short notice for the state rail companies. The situation is similar for the Bulgarian state rail incumbents; they face an acute liquidity crisis, and will require additional state aid merely to keep running. The lesson of these events is clear: it is unwise to delay implementing state railway sector reforms during good economic times, because the consequences can be too severe if a financial downturn occurs before those reforms have been taken and properly implemented. This report begins by assessing implementation of the European Union (EU) legal and institutional framework and the state of institutional reform in South East Europe and Turkey. It then turns to a comparative assessment of the operational and financial performance of the rail sector in each of the 10 countries over 2005-2009, comparing the report countries with the EU-27 benchmark and three EU countries, Germany, Poland, and Slovenia. The report then moves on to the issue of rail corridor performance, with a specific focus on improving the institutional and regulatory environment at border-crossing points, before offering some conclusions. The first annex focuses on the performance of the incumbent state-owned railways of South East Europe and Turkey in much greater detail.

Operations Research for Freight Train Routing and Scheduling

Abstract: This article describes the service design activities that plan and implement the rail freight operating plan. Elements of strategic service design include the setting of train frequency, the routing of cars among trains, and the consolidation of cars, called blocking. At the operational level, trains are dispatched either according to train paths configured in advance, called timetables, or according to priority rules. We describe the North American and European practice along with selected modeling and problem solving methodologies appropriate for each of the operating conditions described. Keywords: freight railways; scheduling; timetabling; routing

Finland-Russia rail transport deregulation: future scenarios of market development

Abstract: The European Union has opened rail freight transport to competition. Regulating third country bounded transports has been in EU member state government jurisdiction. However, the European Commission has expressed an interpretation that third country transports in the EU area should been seen as intra-EU transport, i.e., under competition. Also Russia is promoting competitiveness of rail transports and proceeding with competition. This research assesses EU-Russia rail transport competition from Finland’s perspective by using qualitative scenario analysis. Three different kinds of scenarios are constructed, and based on this research, it may be concluded that deregulating third country transport would be advisable. This would promote border transports, decrease prices, and attract and boost competition in Finland’s rail transport market.

Why Do Open Rail Freight Markets Fail to Attract Competition? Analysis on Finnish Transport Policy

Abstract: Since the beginning of 2007, EU legislation has encouraged member states to deregulate their domestic rail freight markets. While many countries have benefited from the resultant liberalisation, in others, markets are changing fairly slowly. The incumbent railway undertaking has a total market share e.g. in Lithuania, Ireland, and Finland. This paper analyses Finnish transport policy as well as the question why deregulation has not brought competition to the rail freight transport market. The research material was collected by using the Delphi technique. This paper illustrates that competition is expected in Finland, and there is a need for structural changes. Market inequality is manifested in access to incumbent’s services, governmental inactivity on market entry as well as in competition in general, traffic control organisation, and personnel training. This paper suggests that governments and governmental authorities should have an active transport policy in order to create a level playing field which could be a basis for equal and stimulating competition.

Numerical analysis of curving performances of low flatcar wagons

Abstract: Saadkms vehicles represent a particular class of low flatcar wagons, which allow turning a freight train into a sort of movable road where several trucks can be loaded, brought close to their destination and then unloaded. This work presents the results of a numerical analysis of the running safety of Saadkms vehicles for a series of scenarios including curves with different radii and cant deficiency and running over switches. Particular attention was paid to the analysis of severe conditions represented by emergency braking performed while cornering or passing over switches; for the most critical conditions, the effect of flange lubrication was examined.

Importance of Hinterland Transport Networks for Operational Efficiency in Seaport Container Terminals

Abstract: In recent decades the intermodal container transport has emerged more and more as the basis for a globalized economy. This results in accordant seaport container terminal requirements as transhipment nodes and as an interface between different modes of transport. However, the performance in the nodes of a network only represents one aspect, as the capacity in the inbound and outbound flows, i.e. the deep sea and the hinterland traffic, has to play an important role in these considerations. To solve the problem of hinterland transport concepts are presented which include a dislocation of the terminal structures as well as a bigger involvement of rail freight transport. Although the rapid growth of the container transport in recent years clearly declined because of the global recession in 2009, no fundamental changes are expected, as shown by current developments (and forecasts). The quantities which have to be dealt with are rising again (and continue to rise), even if with a temporal lag, so that there is still need for action, especially concerning the linking of seaport container terminals with the hinterland.

Shared Corridors, Strange Bedfellows: Understanding the Interface Between Freight and Passenger Rail

Abstract: This paper aims to clarify issues regarding shared rail corridors from a public policy perspective. It presents an overview of the relationships between the main stakeholders operating trains on North America’s rail networks: the railway companies that own the rail infrastructure and use it to provide freight services to shippers, and the passenger service operators—which are primarily public agencies that pay railway companies for track access and other services required to operate commuter and intercity passenger trains. The issues at stake are of concern to the policy and business community alike, because congestion on railway lines affects commuter rail, intercity passenger trains, and long-distance freight trains. In addition to the obvious economic costs of delays or less-reliable transit times in passenger and freight rail, respectively, adverse environmental and social impacts (e.g., higher accident rates on roadways) arise if either freight or passenger traffic shifts from rail to roadways. An earlier version of this paper was published by the Conference Board of Canada in September 2010.Copyright © 2011 by ASME

Framework for rail freight transport revival in South Africa

Abstract: Most long-distance land freight in South Africa is transported by road, which (i) places harsh constraints on the country’s transport infrastructure; and (ii) gives rise to excessive external costs. This is ascribable to the high demand for road freight transport, which is dependent on imported fuel at unstable prices and which is damaging to the environment. The critical requirement is to determine how much freight, and specifically which freight, can switch to rail transport. In order to identify the freight flows that can exploit the economic principles of rail transport, a market segmentation model was developed. A feasible target market was identified that enables key stakeholders (government, the national railway and major road transport service providers) to engage in ensuring that sufficient investment in suitable transport infrastructure takes place timeously to support the country’s economic growth and development ideals in a sustainable fashion.

Rolling Stock: Locomotives and Rail Cars

Abstract: A snapshot of the rolling stock manufacturing industry, both in the US and in selected foreign countries Includes multiple tables on the United States, Canada, Mexico, China, and Russia

Energy-efficient freight train operation guide system for diesel locomotives

Abstract: In view of the limitation of onboard system's capacity, requirement of computing speed and impacts of complicated train movement, an optimized model for energy-efficient train operation is proposed, which suits for diesel locomotives with discrete levels of control on uneven rail. An onboard system for energy-efficient train operation with diesel locomotive is developed in accordance with Chinese railway transportation. By collecting dynamic information of train movement and real-time computing, the system can provide energy-efficient train operation guidance of speed-distance profile and handles-distance profile for locomotive driver. The real-time optimized control schemes can ensure the low cost and quality of train movement (safety, punctuality, and so on). To achieve this, some strategies have been applied into making the operating schemes, such as enhancing speed on steep uphill slope, extending coasting distance on steep downhill tracks, and avoiding unnecessary brake. This system has been verified in practical railroad environment for one year. The result shows that the energy consumption is cut by 5.88%, and the safe and relatively low-cost train operation is realized.

Shared Corridors, Shared Interests

Abstract: What are some of the practical obstacles to a “shared interests” between a freight railway business and the proposed new higher speed passenger entity? This paper discusses the real “tension” between the two business interests that fund freight trains versus those that support and fund higher speed passenger trains as they attempt to share the same tracks in a safe manner. There are fundamental laws of physics that have to be addressed as the two different sets of equipment are “accommodated” on a shared corridor. This may not always be an easy accommodation between the two commercial parties. One real tension between the two commercial interests involves the physical problem of accommodating two radically different train sets on areas of curved track. For one example, what will be the passenger train required future higher speeds and how will these speeds be accommodated in existing main line tracks with curves varying from 1% to 6% in degrees? How much super elevation will need to be put back into the heretofore freight train tracks? How will the resulting super elevation affect the operation of so called drag or high tonnage slow speed bulk cargo trains? Accommodating such differences in train set types, axle loadings, freight versus passenger train set speeds, requires making detailed choices at the engineering level. These may be shared interests, but they are also variables with far different outcomes by design for the two different business types. The freight railways have spent the last few decades “taking the super elevation out” because it is not needed for the modern and highly efficient freight trains. Now the requirements of the passenger trains may need for it to be replaced. What are the dynamics and fundamental engineering principles at work here? Grade crossings have a safety issue set of interests that likely require such things as “quad” gates and for the highest passenger train speeds even complete grade separation. Track accommodating very high speed passenger trains requires under federal regulations much closer physical property tolerances in gauge width, track alignment, and surface profile. This in turn increases the level of track inspection and track maintenance expenses versus the standard freight operations in a corridor. Fundamentally, how is this all going to be allocated to the two different commercial train users? What will be the equally shared cost and what are examples of the solely allocated costs when a corridor has such different train users? In summary, this paper provides a description of these shared issues and the fundamental trade-offs that the parties must agree upon related to overall track design, track geometry, track curvature, super elevation options, allowed speeds in curves, more robust protection at grade crossings, and the manner in which these changes from the freight only corridors are to be allocated given the resulting much higher track maintenance costs of these to be shared assets.Copyright © 2011 by ASME

Spatial, temporal and size distribution of freight train time delay in Sweden.

Abstract: Delays and cancelled trains are often described as a problem for companies that transport goods by rail. Lack of reliability of freight trains is seen as a disadvantage compared to other modes. To ...

A New Rearrangement Plan for Freight Cars in a Train

Abstract: In this paper, a new Q-Learning method for transfer scheduling of freight cars in a train is proposed. In the proposed method, the number of freight-movements in order to line freights in the desired order is reflected by corresponding evaluation value for each pair of freight-layout and removal-destination at a freight yard. Evaluation values are obtained by the Q-Learning method. The best transfer scheduling can be derived by selecting the removal-action of freight that has the best evaluation value at each freight-layout.

Train-Bridge Interaction on Freight Railway Lines

Abstract: This study investigates the dynamic response of a railway bridge under train passage.Three load models designed around the Swedish Steel Arrow freight train are tested and compared. A series of Con ...

Cost-Benefit analysis for freight transportation of Bangladesh

Abstract: Bangladesh has witnessed rapid growth in transport demand, since mid eighties till now, the annual growth rate were 8.2% and 8.4 % respectively for freight and passenger transport demand. This paper describes how benefits and costs vary for multi-modal transport options and travel conditions. It primarily considers road and rail freight transport. It provides an analysis framework which includes estimates of unit cost (Tk/per km/per vehicle) for different travel modes. Different parameters have been used to compare the level of service of different modes and help to have an overall knowledge about the present situation of freight transport in Bangladesh. The result shows that the rate of per unit cost for road and railway are 3.04 tk/ton/km and 1.49 tk/ton/km respectively. Inspite of higher cost, during the last two decades, road freight has grown at a compounded growth rate compared to rail. This shift in freight mode is due to long travel time, lack of maintenance and care of railway department, lack of funding in railway department and overall bad image of the railway system of the country.

Governance and structure of the railway industry : three pillars

Abstract: In China and in many other countries there is a compelling public interest in the railway industry. How do different countries try to pursue the public interest in railways? This paper finds common elements of governance and institutional structure in eight countries whose diverse railway industries collectively carry about two-thirds of all the railway traffic in the world outside China: Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Russia, and the USA. These common elements are: the existence of a Ministry of Transport with oversight and multi-modal transport policy responsibility; separation of government policy and regulatory functions from the commercial management of railway services; overwhelming preference for company structures (whether private or state-owned) to deliver railway services; multiple service providers; and divisional or institutional separation of freight from passenger services. China's railway industry governance structure is not based on these elements. But changes in transport competition and in the scale of China's railway industry, together with the desirability of a more coordinated national transport system, suggest that now there may be useful lessons for China from the international experience. The paper speculates on three common policy 'pillars' upon which China may wish to base alternatives for consideration.

Potential impact of traffic densification on rail freight transport cost in sub-saharan africa

Abstract: This article highlights the significant cost-reduction opportunities possible through the densification of rail freight traffic, especially over longer distances, and the concomitant implications for increased profitability for railway organisations in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Densification opportunities should also focus on the development of transport corridors throughout the region. SSA countries themselves can play a critical role in unlocking this potential by, inter alia, simplifying regional economic agreements. As with most other initiatives in SSA, unlocking this potential will require efficient crosscountry collaboration.

CombiSec: proposal of unified cargo securing principles for road and combined transport trains

Abstract: The principles for cargo securing in Cargo Transport Units (CTUs) differs completely between the current rules and regulations for road and sea transports on one hand and rail transports on the other. This is not a favourable circumstance for combined transports, especially considering that: the UIC Loading Guidelines can not be complied with in a steadily increasing fraction of the European fleet of CTUs, and combined transports on rail are part of transports chains that normally starts with a road transport with CTUs that in principle always are loaded and secured by personnel at industries and terminals familiar with road transports only. Thus, the research project "CombiSec — Proposal of unified cargo securing principles for road and combined transport trains" aims to identify cargo securing methods that are in accordance with valid road regulations and that could provide a sufficient and acceptable level of cargo securing during combined transports by rail. This identification has been carried out in three steps: 1. Theoretic analysis and comparison of current regulations for road and rail transports 2. Shunting tests with a wide range of common cargo types 3. Test transports with a wide range of common cargo types The CombiSec project has been financed by the National Swedish Rail Administration and the Swedish Road Administration and by the work of a very large number of industry partners which has participated in the project. In practice, the securing of the goods in CTUs is normally done according to the principles used for road transport. If blocking is not possible, which is the case in most curtainsiders and open flat bed trailers, top-over lashings are by far the most commonly used method for cargo securing. However, generally the UIC (International Union of Railways) Loading Guidelines disqualifies indirect fastenings (top-over lashings) from being used to prevent sideways sliding. Through the analysis of regulations performed within the project it has been concluded that: The UIC Loading Guidelines offers no relevant method for securing several types of common cargoes in standard curtainsider trailers or open flat bed trailers; The CEN method for "combined transport — rail" requires copious amounts of lashings to be used in most cases, and can thus not be recommended as a suitable method. Within the project, shunting tests were performed in accordance with UIC Loading Guidelines with 19 cargo transport units supplied by the projects industry representatives. CombiSec 2011-02-24 iv The cargo securing fulfilled the road regulations in 13 of the 19 units only. None of the units were in compliance with the instructions in the UIC Loading Guidelines. Despite this, cargo movements in the longitudinal direction were very limited, and it could be concluded that it is sufficient to secure cargo in cargo transport units for combined road/rail transports according to the road regulations as long as shunting is carried out at the prescribed maximum speed of 4 km/h. During the project, the securing of a wide range of cargoes was documented during test transports of more than 100 units. The selection of units where carried out by two different principles: 1. Multiple units with identical cargo units were documented by industry representatives in the project, throughout the whole transport chain on selected relations. 2. Random units where selected at rail terminals and documented prior to and after the rail haulage. For each unit the cargo type and properties, type and classification of the cargo transport unit as well as the means of cargo securing were recorded. The original position of the cargo was marked on the platform floor and any movement was noted upon arrival at the destination. The following main conclusions have been reached based on the results of the test transports: In most inspected units, no signs of significant accelerations in any direction could be detected except in some units in one and the same train, which probably was exposed to large shunting speeds; There were no indications of significant accelerations in the transverse direction in any of the inspected units; There is a significant wandering effect for unlashed cargo during intermodal transports by rail due to vibrations. The movement of the cargo occurred randomly; The curtain sides of XL trailers have in these test transports proved to be able to safely contain the cargo within the unit without showing any noticeable deflection, even when the cargo was unlashed; Indirect lashings (top-over lashings) may be used to safely secure cargo during rail transports; In all cases, when properly applied, the securing principles for cargo securing during road transports may serve as safe guidelines also for combined transports by rail. Recommendations Based on the findings in the CombiSec project and the conclusions above the principles set out in the "European Best Practice Guidelines on Cargo Securing for Road Transport" is sufficient also for combined rail transports. It is thus recommended that the UIC Loading CombiSec 2011-02-24 v Guidelines are complemented with the inclusion of these principles. It is, however, important to bear in mind that a design acceleration in longitudinal direction of 0,5 g (about 5 m/s2) is based on shunting speeds of maximum 4 km/h. To avoid that cargo moves uncontrolled due to vibrations during the rail part of the transports it is recommended that special requirements are provided for cargo securing arrangements to avoid such movements. If the UIC Loading Guidelines are complemented according to these recommendations it is also recommended to approach CEN/TC 168 to get the basic design accelerations for combined rail transports altered to be in line with the accelerations for road transports. This is important not to jeopardize the future increase of combined rail transports as the cargo securing standard EN 12195-1 (2010) might be used to form

Intermodal Liner Freight Trains : Opportunities and Limitations

Abstract: The global trend of urbanization is evident and also valid in Sweden and for the Stockholm-Malaren region, also referred to as the Malaren valley, a region consisting of metropolitan Stockholm and areas around the lake of Malaren. In this context, efficient urban freight transportation has emerged as essential for sustainable development of urban areas. Geographic regions are being expanded due to the fact that rapid transport options have expanded the range of action of people and businesses. Metropolitan regions require freight transports that are often categorized by an inflow of consumables and an outflow of waste and recyclable material. Within urban areas there are ports, terminals and storage facilities that require incoming and outgoing transport. Altogether, these shipments have led to increased congestion on the road network within urban areas, which is a contributing factor to why a shift to intermodal land transports have been advocated both in Europe and in Sweden, thus encouraging more freight to be moved from road to rail. Another contributing factor is the relatively low impact on the environment generated by rail transportation. Efficient use of resources and low emissions of greenhouse gases are factors that are in favor of the train as a transport mode.Furthermore, conventional rail freight is commonly competitive on long distances and in end-point relations between two nodes. However, an intermodal liner train, as a transport system for freight differs from conventional rail freight transport systems, as it similar to a passenger train makes stops along the route for loading and unloading. Due to the stops made at intermediate stations it enables the coverage of a larger market area. For regional or inter-regional relations, the concept has the potential of reducing drayage by truck to and from intermodal terminals and to make rail freight competitive also over medium and short distances.The main aim of this thesis project has been to analyze under which conditions a combined transport system with the railway as a base can be implemented in the Stockholm-Malaren region. Based on a case study for a shipper distributing daily consumables in the region, the feasibility of creating a regional rail freight transport system has been evaluated.This study provides a methodology for evaluating the feasibility, regarding costs and emissions, of concepts and technologies within freight transportation chains. This has been accomplished by the development of a cost modal, Intermodal Transport Cost Model (ITCM). From the results of the case study one can conclude that a regional rail based intermodal transport system regarding costs is on the threshold of feasibility in the studied region. As for emissions, all evaluated intermodal transport chains contribute to a significant decrease in CO2 emissions compared to unimodal road haulage. The loading space utilization of the train and the transshipment cost are the most critical parameters. The latter restricting the competitiveness of intermodal services to long distances as it is not proportional to transported distance but rather to the utilization rate of resources. Hence, the concept of cost-efficient small scale (CESS) terminals is introduced in this study.A main prerequisite in order to make the intermodal liner train efficient is a stable and balanced flow of goods with optimized loading space utilization along the route. As the objective is to consolidate small flows, imbalances along the route will constitute an obstacle for the liner train to be competitive. Thus regarding loading space utilization it is necessary to consolidate other freight flows in the train in order to achieve high loading space utilization and a balanced flow along the route. The third parameter which is critical for the results are the fuel prices, where a sensitivity analysis of the results shows that if diesel prices would increase so would the feasibility of the intermodal option. The same is also valid for train length increase as long as the loading space utilization is maintained.The results of the feasibility study indicate that the evaluated transshipment technologies are closing the gap for intermodal transport to unimodal road haulage regarding transport cost over short- and medium distances and that they contribute to a substantial reduction of CO2 emissions. However, it is essential that also the transport quality is ensured, especially regarding reliability and punctuality. Thus a demonstration project is recommended as these aspects require operational testing. This is particularly crucial regarding novel transshipment technologies.

Freight Car Electrically Driven Set and Release Hand Brake (EDHB)

Abstract: For years, American freight railroads have attempted to eliminate freight train crew injuries when applying and releasing freight car hand brakes. Currently, a person has to crank a handle or turn a wheel while in ergonomically awkward positions to apply a hand brake. If the operator slips or the brake’s mechanisms slip, injuries occur. Also, there are inherent safety issues with the climbing of ladders or steps to operate the brake and the need for going in-between cars to access the brakes. Additionally, today’s hand brakes are applied manually to varying degrees because there is no indicator to tell the crew that the hand brake is fully applied. Many times the hand brake is over applied and becomes damaged. Moreover, a hand brake that is not released upon train movement leads to wheel flats that damage the car, lading, and the track. Wheel set replacement is one of the most costly remediation activities on the railroad and damaged track adversely affects equipment and operations. With the objective of reducing or completely eliminating the issues mentioned above, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has sponsored the development of an ‘Electrically Driven Set & Release Hand Brake’ (EDHB). Under this effort, Sharma & Associates, Inc. (SA) has conducted research into related concepts/products conceptualized and evaluated different arrangements selected a promising concept and developed a prototype. Functional laboratory demonstration tests have been conducted on the prototype. Future plans include working with the industry in developing and implementing performance and testing specifications for the EDHB, and validating the design through lab and field-testing.Copyright © 2011 by ASME

Research on the Mechanical Performance of Railway Bridges with Spans over 1000m

Abstract: Based on Yangtze River crossing railway passage project connecting Shanghai and Nantong,the mechanical performances of a cable-stayed bridge and a suspension bridge schemes with 1 008 m spans were analyzed for the design conception comparison of super major bridge with spans over 1 000 m.The double line railway was designed as per Chinese standard for common use of both passenger trains and freight trains.Static deflection analysis and interaction simulation of bridge and train were carried out.Analysis results indicate that under the load application of Chinese freight train at a speed of 80 km·h-1 or passenger train at a speed of 200 km·h-1,both the static and the dynamic deformation properties of cable-stayed or suspension bridge with 1 008 m span can meet the requirements for safe train operation.The bridge structure has good rigidity.The dynamic running steadiness and the comfort index of currently adopted Chinese trains can be evaluated as "satisfactory".It can be concluded that the application of cable-stayed bridge or suspension bridge with spans over 1 000 m in Shanghai to Nantong railway passage project is technically feasible.