The impacts on freight train operational performance of new rail infrastructure to segregate passenger and freight traffic

Rail freight has an important role to play in improving the resource efficiency and sustainability of freight transport within the supply chain. The British rail network has seen considerable growth of both freight and passenger activity in the last 20 years, leading to concerns about its capacity to absorb continued growth. A number of infrastructure initiatives focused on increasing capacity and reducing conflicts have been implemented. This includes the North Doncaster Chord, opened in June 2014 primarily to provide a more direct route from the port of Immingham to the major Aire Valley power stations (i.e. Drax, Eggborough and Ferrybridge). The paper analyses the freight impacts of the new chord, focusing on three key operational measures (i.e. train routing, scheduled journey times and train punctuality) during 10-week survey periods before and after the opening of the chord. The analysis is based on real-time data relating to coal and biomass trains operating between Immingham and the three power stations. This is a novel approach as the data have been made publicly available only recently, allowing a detailed investigation of the flows on this corridor at a highly disaggregated level. The use of this empirical method to assess the detailed rail freight operational impacts is an important element in the process of evaluating the effects of network enhancement. The results demonstrate improvements in each of the three operational measures, but also reveal a situation considerably more complex than that suggested by the published material relating to the justification for this new infrastructure

An analysis of rail freight operational efficiency and mode share in the British port-hinterland container market

The growth in container shipping poses considerable challenges to efforts to reduce the negative externalities associated with freight transport. There are particular concerns about the impacts of the associated port-hinterland freight flows. Through empirical research, this paper examines trends in the operational efficiency of the British port-hinterland container rail freight market and to assess the impacts of any changes on the overall sustainability of this market. Original survey work conducted in 2007 and 2015 has allowed longitudinal and cross-sectional analysis of the characteristics of this market. The survey findings reveal that rail’s mode share of port container throughput (in TEU) has increased from 14.7 per cent in 2007 to 16.6 per cent in 2015 and it is likely that its share of the associated hinterland activity has also risen. Rail was carrying 25 per cent more TEU by 2015 without an increase in train service provision. Increases in mean train capacity and mean load factor were observed, leading to growth in the mean train load from 44 TEU in 2007 to 55 TEU in 2015. This considerable improvement in operational efficiency is expected to have reduced the negative externalities per unit of transport activity associated with the rail-borne hinterland container flows, though scope is identified for further improvements in sustainability

Rail network resilience and operational responsiveness during unplanned disruption: A rail freight case study

This paper focuses on the resilience of rail freight operations when affected by extreme weather events. Such events, most likely linked to climate change, are becoming more common and it is vital to mitigate their effects on freight transport activity. Based on a British case study of rail network disruption resulting from a key line closure in early-2016, the analysis considers the impacts on rail freight service provision and the wider supply chains. Following a review of the relevant literature, the case study is analysed using data from a combination of sources including an annual rail freight database, open access real-time train running data, observation surveys and stakeholder interviews. This reveals widespread consequences of the disruption, with fewer freight trains operated than normal, and longer and less punctual journeys for those which ran. However, despite the considerable disruption during the period of the line closure itself, there has been no discernible long-term impact on the rail freight flows which were impacted by the closure. The insight provided by the analysis is used to make a series of recommendations to the rail industry and policy makers

The role for rail in port-based container freight flows in Britain

As supply chains become increasingly global and companies seek greater efficiencies, the importance of good, reliable land-based transport linkages to/from ports increases. This poses particular problems for the UK, with its high dependency on imported goods and congested ports and inland routes. It is conservatively estimated that container volumes through British ports will double over the next 20 years, adding to the existing problems. This paper investigates the potential for rail to become better integrated into port-based container flows, so as to increase its share of this market and contribute to a more sustainable mode split. The paper identifies the trends in container traffic through UK ports, establishes the role of rail within this market, and assesses the opportunities and threats facing rail in the future. The analysis combines published statistics and other information relating to container traffic and original research on the nature of the rail freight market, examining recent trends and future prospects. The paper concludes that this is an important market for rail, with considerable growth potential but to realise this it is important that a number of constraints are overcome, otherwise the long-term prospects for this rail market will be compromised

The changing nature of rail freight in Great Britain: the start of a renaissance?

This paper reports on ongoing research into the potential for rail freight service developments to achieve a significant modal shift away from road towards more sustainable modes of transport for freight movements. It is based on the analysis of comprehensive databases of rail freight flows in Great Britain in 1991 and 1997, a period in which there has been dramatic upheaval of rail freight services. This reveals that traffic volumes in early 1997 were still below those in early 1991, but that many new flows were beginning to manifest themselves as a result of traffic gains by the newly privatized operators who have been actively seeking new custom. Some of these flows are ones that were lost from rail during the period of decline, but it is clear that a significant volume of traffic gained is entirely new to rail. Finally, the need for more research on the interactions between these supply-side developments and logistical restructuring is highlighted

Potential for non-road modes to support environmentally friendly urban logistics

Road freight transport typically dominates in urban delivery operations. However, an increasing number of trials and commercial operations have started in the past 10 years attempting to use non-road modes in a wide range of cities including: Paris, Berlin, Madrid, Amsterdam and others. The research establishes the existing scale of rail freight in two comparable cities (London and Paris/Ile de France) and compares the development process in terms of the stakeholders, the infrastructure and planning issues and the nature of the operations. The review considers the scope and opportunity for an increase in the use of rail for urban freight transport and assesses the barriers to its wider implementation. The research is based on a mixture of desk research examining a number of cities and their use of rail freight transport combined with some interviews with the major stakeholders. The research contains an assessment of a number of pilot projects and initiatives that can be considered together and offer important insights into the potential for changes to urban distribution operations. The findings illustrate that rail plays a more important part than is often thought but that its uptake is restricted by the complex barriers to wider implementation. Planning limits and the complexity of engaging with the range of stakeholders has made it difficult to implement rail solutions for urban freight. It is clear that some of the developments can be considered as filling a rather narrow niche function. However, it is also apparent that some initiatives have the scope for wider implementation and to contribute significantly to reducing the reliance on road freight transport in cities. The analysis will support the work of urban planners and policy makers concerned with how to reach the EU target of essentially zero CO2 urban freight by 2030. In addition, the research identifies a number of barriers that need to be overcome and proposes ways to achieve this