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FREIGHT
New rail freight
traffic for 2015
This article discusses new technologies, dimensions and production systems for
rail freight traffic – based on genuine situations in Germany.
Jürgen Siegmann, Head, and The market for new solutions in such as passenger rail transportation,
Helge Stuhr, Research
the railway sector almost inexistent. These conditions are
Associate, of the Chair of Track
& Railway Operations,
The growth of goods traffic in Europe that thus very different to the ones existing in
Technische Universität Berlin has come along with globalisation and the Europe. Notwithstanding this fact, the
(Berlin Institute of Technology)
actual discussions about the environmental discussion about an enhancement of the
impact of the transport sector require new train dimensions in Europe should not
concepts to increase the efficiency of rail be finished here, particularly since the
freight traffic. The predicted growth of transportation market constantly
rail freight will soon exceed the capacity strives for an enlargement of the
of today’s railway system. For this reason, transportation units.
operational innovations which will impact The legislator defines the limits of the
promptly will be necessary in order to vehicles of the different modes of
cope with the expected growth at a transport in order to harmonise the
customer-friendly service level. The interaction between vehicles and
intended enhancements of the network – infrastructure. With the aim of having
which are necessary as well – may be reliable planning criteria, these limits can
implemented too late. In the view of many not be changed regularly. However, the
customers, rail freight is too inflexible, too market consistently demands consistently
expensive and too slow in comparison an enlargement of the vehicle sizes:
with other means of transport. However,
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With the aim of having a higher
the environmental friendliness and safety capacity (volume) and if applicable a
reasons speak in favour of it. higher payload, road haulers seek to
Nowadays, the dimensions of freight have trucks with a length of more than
trains are limited, among other reasons, by 18.25 metres, which is the maximum
the poor towing capacity of the antiquated allowed length in Germany. For that
screw coupling (see Picture 1). In contrast reason, the so-called EuroCombis or
to this, in many countries like the USA, GigaLiner, which can have a
Canada, Russia, China, South Africa and maximum length of 25 metres and a
Norway, freight trains with a gross weight gross weight of up to 60 tonnes, were
of between 10,000 and 30,000 tonnes and – and partly still are – allowed to run
a length of partly more than 2km are in a testing phase.
common. The railway undertakings, which
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Inland vessels increased their size
run such trains, generate the lion’s share of frequently during recent decades.
their gains with them. Usually the Large inland freight vessels with a
Screw coupling – antiquated and time
consuming technology networks in these countries are not as length of 110 metres and a breadth of
Copyright: DB AG
dense as in Europe and rail freight 11.4 metres, that spread from the river
Photo Credit: DB AG/Heiner Müller-Elsner
transportation is dominant, being in cases Rhine to other waterways in the 80s,
82 EUROPEAN RAILWAY REVIEW
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ISSUE 3
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2008
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