East Midlands strategic distribution study

This study assesses the importance of the logistics sector to the economy of the East Midlands and provides an understanding of land requirements and demand for sites from logistics companies in the region in the short, medium and long term

AGW for efficient freight transport in container yard: models and costs

Abstract Different modes of transport are frequently used to transfer goods from origin to destination, especially on medium-long distances, in relation to the network supply, the available services, the costs. The transfer from one carrier to another, in an interchange node such as a port, a rail station, a logistics terminal, often implicates an increase of monetary and temporal costs, connected to material and immaterial operations. The principal aim is to minimize the overall cost of transport, but the freight interchange node can represent critical steps in logistics chain and for this reason much attention is now committed to actions to make efficient the functional organization of the terminal. In the last years an increasing interest is directed to the use of vehicles technologically advanced with automation of functions. The paper focuses on a particular technology, conceived recently, otherwise an intelligent rail wagon called AGW (Automated Guided Wagon) for handling of containers in a port. The use of intelligent system AGW as handling unit of containers in the yard, would allow the overcoming of diseconomies of scale and the reduction of the handling times and costs through a flexible management in relation to the characteristics of the transport supply and demand, the latter subject to a high variability. In the paper, after a brief description of the AGW technology and the advantages connected to the use of this handling system in a freight interchange node, the attention is focused on a comparative analysis between the handling system now operating in the container port (RTG, Straddle Carrier, AVG, etc.) and the system that involves the use of AGW. This analysis is made on the operational characteristics of the different handling systems, through the use of: functional schemes, with the aim to carry out evaluations related to the spatial, organizational and relational structure of container yard equipped with different handling unit; network models (graphical representation of links and paths; basic cost parameters) for the schematization and simulation of container handling in the yard; cost models for quantitative evaluation of monetary and temporal impacts, that derive from the use of different handling unit in the yard

Capabilities of a Periodic Containerised Railfreight System in Germany

Based on an analysis of the developments to date, this article originates from and then substantiates long-discussed approaches of a fast, periodic unaccompanied combined rail freight transport network for Germany that corresponds to the target modal split. A four-stage scenario of a market entry is developed. The presented solution incorporates potentially novel aspects such as a network design based on the Deutschlandtakt Cargo integrated periodic timetable framework, the prospective quantity structures as of 2030, and a segmentation for a route-specific mix of two major shipping container types. The set of assessment indicators derived by the model allows to gain insights on the achievable capacities and service levels versus the addressable freight transport demand as well as consequential cost/benefit functions

Revisions and Update: Productivity of Australian Railways 1971/72 to 1991/92

This paper revises the findings of the Productivity of Australian Railways study released by ITS in 1992. The findings were released as Research Report ITS-RR-92-1, as Working Paper ITS-WP-92-7 and as a paper published in the proceedings of the 17th Australasian Transport Research Forum. The revisions include: the inclusion of South Australia’s urban passenger services, review of supply side measures of output, a revised measure of capital utilisation, and update of the database to include the latest available information for 1991/92. The paper is in two sections: Section 1 contains an explanation of the revisions and update; while Section 2 contains the results of the revisions and update including a revision of TFP figures and models presented in ITS-WP-92-7 and tables of revised data and TFP measures

Imitation forecast of railway system operation in a macroregion

The article describes an analytical and information system that was used for forecasting the operation parameters of the railway system in a macroregion of Russia - the Far North. Its economy is focused on the extraction and processing of hydrocarbons, metal production, construction materials, and generate large volumes of exports and inter-regional cargo flows. The region covers an expansive territory and is characterized by harsh weather, an extreme environment, and uneven development of the transportation network. Research into the transportation issues of economic development in such areas presents a challenging task because the region is unique, statistical data are incomplete and classified; there is a hierarchy of businesses and organizations operating in the region that have their own goals and objectives and compete against its other; the region is plagued with social and environmental problems and a lack of administrative integration between individual districts. Using rigorous mathematical tools for assessing transportation infrastructure projects under such conditions is only limited to finding solutions to stand-alone problems and scenario comparison. A model of the applied system that is outlined in the article makes it possible to analyze specific projects of regional railway system development that take into account strategic priorities and goals of the state, social and economic development problems experienced by the neighboring regions, the oil and gas sector and major employers, as well as corporate goals of the sustainable development of railway companies. The application of the model over an extended period of time showed that the analysis of the structure of cargo flows and customers bound to junctions of the transportation network makes it possible to suggest what aspects of the railway infrastructure should be reorganized in line with the development dynamics of economic entities that consume transportation services. The study is built upon a number of projects that were implemented in the north of Tyumen Region and the Yamal- Nenets and Khanty-Mansi autonomous areas of Russia. © 2018 WIT Press.ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The work was supported by Act 211 Government of the Russian Federation, contract № 02.A03.21.0006

New Technology and Automation in Freight Transport and Handling Systems

This is an evidence review that examines the trends in manufacturing and global supply chains, looking at the international trade, technology and users, and how these may change between now and 2040. The review has been commissioned by the Government Office for Science within the Foresight project. The Foresight Future of Mobility project is run from within the UK Government Office for Science (GO-Science). The Foresight project was launched to try to understand the broad question "What benefits/ opportunities could the transport system of the future provide and what are the implications for Government and society?

BESTFACT Best Practice Handbook 3

The Best Practice Handbook (BPH) gives an overview about current concepts, strategies and actions in freight transport all over Europe. It is disseminating information on successful projects and practices to increase awareness and share experiences. It is enabling knowledge transfer and supporting transferability for best practices. The third and last Best Practice Handbook focuses on the work done over the entire project, with 157 inventory cases and 60 in-depth analyses. After four years of case collection a wide field of solutions is available. The main findings of the BESTFACT cases are cross-checked and summarised for each of the cluster topics. The consistent form of collection and information provision broadens the structural understanding of best practice cases. The synthesis of cases per topic shows that under consideration of barriers and framework conditions replicable impacts are achievable. Main editors are Martin Ruesch & Simon Bohne (Rapptrans) and Jacques Leonardi (UoW). Project leader is Marcel Huschebeck (PTV)

A comparative assessment of the productivity of Australia’s rail systems 1971/72 - 1990/91

There is a recognition that Australia’s rail systems, as the major recipient of government subsidy, have to improve their performance and become more cost efficient. Any policy designed to reduce costs must consider the implications of resultant actions on the overall productivity of a business. In this paper we propose the use of the total factor productivity index as an appropriate reference benchmark, calculated annually for each rail system. As a reference benchmark, it enables each railway to evaluate the productivity implications of any change to the operating and managerial environment designed in part or in whole as a cost saving strategy. Total factor productivity indices are derived annually from 1971/72 to 1990/91 for the 5 major rail systems and sources of variation are identified