4 BULKDISTRIBUTOR Intermodal November / December 2016
4 BULKDISTRIBUTOR Intermodal November / December 2016
Stretching the network
As European countries look to encourage modal shift from road to rail , one seemingly obvious answer is increasing the capacity of freight trains by making them longer . France has been experimenting with trains as long as 1,500m for three years now . But surprisingly Germany still has to catch up with much of the continent by being able to accommodate 740m train lengths , the standards European scale . After rail freight sector bosses and transport politicians of all factions voiced their support for upgrading the German rail network to allow longer freight trains to operate , regional transport ministers gave their backing at a state transport ministers summit . The transport ministers are calling on the federal government to create improved development to enable rail freight transport to increase its market share . In particular , the federal government should make a statement on “ operating 740m freight trains across the network ”, said the transport ministers in a unanimous resolution passed at the summit in Stuttgart . According to the Pro-Rail Alliance , a non-profit transport association , the regional transport ministers in North Rhine- Westphalia , Hesse , Baden Württemberg , Brandenburg , and Saxony- Anhalt all regard 740m trains as an intelligent means of shifting freight from roads to rail . The German Environment Agency is now also urging the rapid implementation of measures to allow operations of longer trains . Transport experts from all the national parties have already acknowledged the positive impact that a 740m freight train would have for the climate . The bosses of DB Cargo , SBB Cargo International , Havelland Railway , Port of Hamburg Railway and the freight forwarder Konrad Zippel are all hoping for a double-digit increase in efficiency . To achieve this , passing loops at selected places across Germany have to be extended and several network bottlenecks must be addressed . According to Deutsche Bahn , the standard European train length of 740m cannot operate on many lines in Germany . Due to what are often minor network restrictions , only 11 percent of freight trains operating in the country are of the standard EU length . In 2015 , rail freight in Germany carried 116.6 billion tonnekilometres . The Federal Environment Ministry and the Environment Agency have said that over the next 10 years , rail freight should improve this performance by almost double . However , there are bottlenecks in Germany ’ s rail network close to major rail hubs and also on several busy lines . This is why the rail network has to be upgraded , say rail advocates . Longer freight trains , they argue , will reduce the cost of transport and improve the capacity utilisation of the network , enabling a greater volume of goods to be transported without having to construct new lines .
Small change
Only one in 10 freight trains currently operating are longer than
Saxony-Anhalt hopes that upgrading the network will bring a long-overdue modernisation of infrastructure in the east of the country
700m . Over 60 percent of the trains operating on Deutsche Bahn ’ s network are shorter than 600m . The maximum length of a train largely depends on the line ’ s technical limitations . Train operating companies and DB Netz AG , the rail infrastructure company that operates around 87 percent of the German network , have been working since 2006 to upgrade infrastructure for longer blocks . European standards for the length of a freight train are 740m and , in some cases , 835m . An average freight train operating on the German rail network is comprised of 25 to 30 wagons . In future , trains should be comprised of 35 wagons , which is the equivalent of 740m . For the transport of containers , this means that this longer train would replace 52 heavy goods vehicles . But to make such a network reality upgrades have to be selective . It is only necessary to make small changes to the network to enable standard EU length freight trains to operate . In order for a 740m train to run as safely as shorter trains , passing loops and sidings have to be extended . In addition , upgrades to signalling and safety equipment on the lines and at level crossings may be necessary , for example , by moving signal lights and monitoring points . Freight loading terminals and combined transport terminals also have to be partially extended so that they can handle longer trains . However , compared with constructing new lines , these are inexpensive measures that could be realised quickly . Traction and wagons are already suitable for operation . Technical upgrades are only necessary when they are being used on freight trains with a length of 1,000m and more because the extra weight and length have an impact on train handling and braking performance . Noise emissions are much the same way as with shorter trains . This was the conclusion of experts working at the Technical University of Harburg . They showed that the elimination of one or two traction vehicles can even have a positive impact on overall noise emissions because the phases of increasing and decreasing noise levels are reduced . In other words , a passing 740m freight train will be perceived as less stressful than when several shorter trains pass . The 740m train has become well established in trans-European rail freight transport . To ensure that there are no limitations between Germany and Europe it is necessary that this length also becomes the standard throughout the German network , say advocates . Six corridors on the trans-European core network pass through Germany , including the most important north-south route between Rotterdam / Antwerp and Genoa , which runs along the Rhine and connects to the major German economic regions of Rhine-Ruhr and Rhine-Main-Neckar . For German ports like Hamburg and Bremerhaven , freight trains with a length of 740m could also play a major role in hinterland transport . Just in the port of Hamburg alone , around 200 freight
Due to minor network restrictions only 11 percent of freight trains operating in Germany are of the standard EU length trains with some 5,000 wagons operate on weekdays . In the transport of bulk goods in particular , rail freight is the leading mode of transport , although the majority of new cars are also transported by rail . The container ships that transport freight to the ports are also increasing in size . Conversely , this makes it necessary to remove larger volumes of freight in a short space of time . Operating 740m freight trains will increase capacity and reduce shunting cycles and train allocation times , the Pro-Rail Alliance argues .
Regional backing
At the summit of state transport ministers in Stuttgart , the social democrat transport minister for the state of North Rhine-Westphalia , Michael Groschek , urged the federal government to act so that legislation on upgrades for longer freight trains can be passed this year . “ We are making the infrastructure in North Rhine-Westphalia fit for the future . It is Germany ’ s most populous state and has the largest volume of traffic ,” he said . “ To this end , we also urgently need to have upgrades to the rail network for 740m freight trains added to the legislation on federal rail infrastructure construction , because every single one of these trains replaces 52 HGVs on the roads . The federal transport ministry must now quickly submit the relevant route assessments so that – once the federal parliament has given the go-ahead – implementing the measures can commence this year ,” said Groschek . For Baden-Württemberg ’ s transport minister Winfried Hermann ( Green Party ), his state ’ s climate targets were most important . “ The state administration ’ s goal is to make transport more climate friendly . This is why we want to increase modal shift from HGVs to trains . This will only be successful if we considerably improve noise abatement and halve noise emissions from the railways by 2020 .” Hermann referred to Switzerland ’ s modal shift policies as a case in point . “ Our Swiss neighbours are following the same goals and are upgrading their railway corridors and the Gotthard tunnel . That allows operations of trains with a length of 740m and create more capacity . The German government should use the legislation on federal rail infrastructure construction to ensure that the network can be upgraded for more freight transport , as well improved electrification and other modernisation measures .” Brandenburg transport minister Kathrin Schneider ( SPD ) hopes that upgrading the German network will boost the Berlin and Brandenburg area . “ The region around the capital has developed into an important logistics centre in the network of European rail corridors . However , many rail tracks only allow very short freight trains to operate . This is why we need the upgrades that will make the railway infrastructure more productive . Even low cost measures such as reorganising signalling and extending passing loops can lead to improvements ,” said Schneider . The state of Saxony-Anhalt hopes that upgrading the network will bring the long-overdue modernisation of the infrastructure in the east of the country . “ In the eastern German states there is still a considerable backlog of rail infrastructure requirements . For example , passing loops that are too short restrict rail freight transport , which forces many trains to be shorter than otherwise necessary , particularly on the east relation ,” said state secretary Sebastian Putz , who was representing transport minister Thomas Webel ( CDU ) at the summit of state transport ministers . State secretary Putz was also among the voices urging the government to act quickly . “ When projects were being registered for the draft federal infrastructure plan , many small , easy to realise measures were put forward for alleviating these restrictions in the near future . The upcoming legislation on federal rail infrastructure construction could put Germany on course this year to making the necessary upgrades to its infrastructure .”