Issue 27

DB

UK WELFARE CODY STACKIS IS A PATRIOT TAPPING INTO A GOOD IDEA

THE INTERMODAL ISSUE

RAIL RUSHES AID

300 tonnes of aid supplies on their way

ÖBB RAIL Cargo Group (RCG) is supporting earthquake victims in Turkiye and Syria by providing transport and logistics services. The first aid train is already on its way to the earthquake zone and is about to arrive in Edirne, Turkiye.

Around the world, numerous citizens, organisations, NGOs and governments are organising donations for those affected by the devastating earthquake disaster in Turkiye and Syria with tens of thousands of deaths.

The people in the affected areas lack everything after the massive destruction.

To ensure that the urgently needed aid also arrives safely and reliably at its destination, it needs fast and uncomplicated transport.

The rail transport company Hamburger Rail Service (HRS) has been a partner of the ÖBB Rail Cargo Group (RCG) for many years. The managing director of HRS, Adem Gülaz, has organised 300 tonnes of relief goods with his private contacts.

These included generators, mobile toilets, food, clothing, hygiene articles, heaters, sleeping bags and tents, which were packed into 18 wagons.

These are 800 pallets that will go directly to the Turkish National Disaster Agency (AFAD), according to Adem Gülaz, the managing director of HRS.

The transport already started in Hamburg and was handled by HRS as far as Passau. From Passau to Edirne in the west of Turkiye, RCG will take over. After

AID TO TÜRKIYE

way to Turkiye

the arrival in Turkiye, the Turkish RCG subsidiary will additionally support the partner HRS in the distribution of the aid supplies to the earthquake area. Further aid transports of this kind are already being planned.

“We at Hamburger Rail Service are doing this to give the people in the crisis area a bit of hope. That is why we have named this train ‘Train of Hope’,” says Gülaz.

“After all, this is not primarily about religion or origin, but about humanity!”

INTERMODAL

First, a little history. The basis of the modern intermodal railway is the standardised shipping container. This highlights that while containers or boxes that could be filled with freight and be loaded between transport modes, horse-drawn carts to canal boats, railways to trucks, trucks to ships and railways to ships have existed in many forms since the 19th century, they were non-standardised.

By the 1830s, railways across several continents were carrying containers that could be transferred to other modes of transport. The Liverpool and Manchester Railway in the United Kingdom was one of these. Simple rectangular timber boxes, four to a truck, they were used to convey coal from the Lancashire collieries to Liverpool, where they were transferred to horse-drawn carts by crane.

The first international standard for contain-

ers was established by the Bureau International des Containers et du Transport Intermodal (BIC) in 1933, and a second one in 1935, primarily for transport between European countries. American containers at this time were not standardised, and these early containers were not yet stackable – neither in the US nor Europe. In November 1932, the first container terminal in the world was opened by the Pennsylvania Rail Road Company in Enola, Pennsylvania. Containerisation was developed in Europe and the US as a way to revitalise rail companies after the Wall Street Crash of 1929, which resulted in economic collapse and a drop in all modes of transport.

In April 1951 at Zürich Tiefenbrunnen railway station, the Swiss Museum of Transport and the BIC held demonstrations of container systems for representatives from a number of European countries and the United States. A system was select-

INTERMODAL

ed for Western Europe, based on the Netherlands' system for consumer goods and waste transportation called Laadkisten (Loading chests), in use since 1934. This system used roller containers for transport by rail, truck and ship, in various configurations up to 5500 kg (12,100 lb) capacity, and up to 3.1 by 2.3 by 2 metres (10 ft 2 in × 7 ft 6+1⁄2 in × 6 ft 6+3⁄4 in) in size.

This became the first post World War II European railway standard of the International Union of Railways – UIC-590, known as "pa-Behälter". It was implemented in the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, West Germany, Switzerland, Sweden and Denmark.

The use of a standardised steel shipping container began during the late 1940s and early 1950s, when commercial shipping operators and the US military started developing such units. In 1948, the US Army Transportation Corps developed the ‘Transporter’, a rigid, corrugated steel container, able to carry 9000 pounds (4,100 kg). It was 8 ft 6 in (2.59 m) long, 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) wide, and 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) high, with double doors on one end, was mounted on skids, and had lifting rings on the top four corners.

After proving successful in Korea, the Transporter was developed into the Container Express (CONEX) box system in late 1952. Based on the Transporter, the size and capacity of the CONEX were about the same but the system was made modular, by the addition of a smaller, half-size unit of 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) long, 4 ft 3 in (1.30 m) wide and 6 ft 10+1⁄2 in (2.10 m) high. CONEXes could be stacked three high, and protected their contents from the elements. By 1965 the US military used some 100,000 Conex boxes, and more than 200,000 in 1967, making this the first worldwide application of intermodal containers. Their invention made a major contribution to the globalisation of commerce

in the second half of the 20th century, dramatically reducing the cost of transporting goods and hence of long-distance trade.

From 1949 onwards, engineer Keith Tantlinger contributed to the development of containers, as well as their handling and transportation equipment. In 1949, while at Brown Trailers Inc. of Spokane, Washington, he modified the design of their stressed skin aluminum 30-foot trailer, to fulfil an order of two-hundred 30 by 8 by 8.5 feet (9.14 m × 2.44 m × 2.59 m) containers that could be stacked two high, for Alaska-based Ocean Van Lines.

And then came Malcom McLean

Malcolm Purcell McLean (November 14 1913 – May 25 2001; later known simply as Malcom McLean) was an American businessman. He was a transport entrepreneur who invented the modern intermodal

shipping container, which revolutionised transport and international trade in the second half of the twentieth century. Containerisation led to a significant reduction in the cost of freight transportation by eliminating the need for repeated handling of individual pieces of cargo, and also improved reliability, reduced cargo theft and cut inventory costs by shortening transit time. Containerisation is credited as being one of the main drivers of globalisation.

The trucking magnet bought Pan-Atlantic Steamship Company in 1955 to form a container shipping enterprise, later known as Sea-Land. The first containers were supplied by Brown Trailers Inc, where McLean met Tantlinger and hired him as vice-president of engineering and research. Under the supervision of Tantlinger, a new 35 ft (10.67 m) x 8 ft (2.44 m) x 8 ft 6 in (2.59 m) Sea-Land container was developed, the length determined by the maximum length of trailers then allowed on Pennsylvanian highways. Each container had a frame with eight corner castings that could withstand stacking loads. Tantlinger also designed automatic spreaders for handling the containers, as well as the twistlock mechanism that connects with the corner castings.

Two years after McLean's first container ship, the Ideal X, started container shipping on the US East Coast, Matson Navigation followed suit between California and Hawaii. Just like Pan-Atlantic's containers, Matson's were 8 ft (2.44 m) wide and 8 ft 6 in (2.59 m) high, but due to California's different traffic code Matson chose to make theirs 24 ft (7.32 m) long. In 1968, McLean began container service to South Vietnam for the US military with great success.

McLean died at his home on the East Side of Manhattan in 2001, age 87, of heart failure. His death prompted American Denocrat politician Norman Y Mineta to make the following statement:

“Malcom revolutionised the maritime industry in the 20th century. His idea for modernising the loading and unloading of ships, which was previously conducted in much the same way the ancient Phoenicians did 3000 years ago, has resulted in much safer and less-expensive transport of goods, faster delivery, and better service. We owe so much to a man of vision, "the father of containerisation," Malcolm P. McLean.”

In an editorial shortly after his death, the Baltimore Sun stated that "he ranks next to Robert Fulton [an American engineer and inventor who is widely credited with developing the world's first commercially successful steamboat] as the greatest revolutionary in the history of maritime trade." Forbes Magazine called McLean "one of the few men who changed the world." On the morning of

INTERMODAL

McLean's funeral, container ships around the world blew their whistles in his honour.

Present day intermodal

About 90% of the world's box containers are either nominal 20-foot (6.1 m) or 40-foot (12.2 m) long, although the United States and Canada also use longer units of 45 ft (13.7 m), 48 ft (14.6 m) and 53 ft (16.15 m). ISO containers have castings with openings for twistlock fasteners at each of the eight corners, to allow gripping the box from above, below, or the side, and they can be stacked up to ten units high for storage or maritime shipping.

Based on these standardised dimensions, a sub-set of intermodal containers have been developed. As well as general-purpose dry vans, for such as boxes and cartons, special interior layouts are known, such as rolling-floor containers, for difficult-to-handle cargo, garmentainers for shipping garments on hangers and ventilated containers. There are temperature-controlled containers – either insulated, refrigerated, and/or heated containers, for perishable goods.

Tank containers, for liquids, gases, or powders which are frequently dangerous goods, and in the case of gases one shipping unit may contain multiple gas bottles. Bulk containers, either closed models with roof-lids, or hard or soft open-top units for top loading, for instance for bulk minerals. Containerised coal carriers and "bin-liners" (containers designed for the efficient road and rail transportation of rubbish from cities to recycling and dump sites) are used in Europe.

Open-top and open-side containers, for instance for easy loading of heavy machinery or oversize pallets as well as platform-based containers such as flat-rack and bolster containers. Empty flat-

racks can either be stacked or shipped sideways in another ISO container.

Handling eco-system

With the container comes a whole handling eco-system necessary for loading, unloading and transfer of empty or full containers.

Containers are transferred between rail, truck, and ship by container cranes at container terminals. Forklifts, reach stackers, straddle carriers, container jacks and cranes may be used to load and unload trucks or trains outside of container terminals. Swap bodies, sidelifters, tilt deck trucks, and

hook trucks allow transfer to and from trucks with no extra equipment.

ISO-standard containers can be handled and lifted in a variety of ways by their corner fixtures, but the structure and strength of 45-foot (type E) containers limits their tolerance of side-lifting, nor can they be forklifted, based on ISO 3874 (1997).

According to Geography of Transport Systems, a variety of equipment can be used to perform intermodal operations at a rail terminal. The choice of equipment is related to a number of factors in terms of capital investment, volume, stacking density and productivity.

The main items include the reach stacker and

the rail-mounted gantry. The reach stacker (also known as a side loader) is a flexible piece of equipment performing intermodal operations for rail and trucks as well as the stacking of containers. Since reach stackers are limited to stacks of three full containers (four or five empty) they can support a stacking density of 500 TEU per hectare. They are often used in intermodal rail terminals and in maritime terminals for specialised moves (e.g. reefers).

The rail-mounted gantry (RMG) is a fixed piece of intermodal equipment that is widespan and can be used for intermodal operations over six to 10 rail tracks. While they tend to be mostly used at port terminals for operations over large container

INTERMODAL

stacks, new intermodal rail terminals are increasingly relying on RMGs to perform intermodal operations over a series of train tracks, often with some below crane space for track-side stacking. Several RMG models can swivel, allowing for perpendicu-

lar crane side loading and unloading. An RMG used solely for stacking can accommodate densities above 1000 TEU per hectare (four full or five empty containers).

When carried by rail, containers may be carried on flatcars or well cars. The latter are specially designed for container transport and can accommodate double-stacked containers. However, the loading gauge of a rail system will restrict the modes and types of container shipment. The smaller loading gauges often found in European railroads will only accommodate single-stacked containers. In some countries, such as the United Kingdom, there are sections of the rail network through which high-cube containers cannot pass, or can pass through only on well cars. On the other hand, Indian Railways runs double-stacked containers on flatcars under 25 kV overhead electrical wires. The wires must be at least 7.45 metres (24 ft 5 in) above the track. China Railway also runs double-stacked containers under overhead wires, but must use well cars to do so, since the wires are only 6.6 metres (21 ft 8 in) above the track.

Double-stack rail transport is a form of intermodal freight transport in which railway cars carry two layers of intermodal containers. Invented in the United States in 1984, it is now being used for nearly 70% of United States intermodal shipments. Using double stack technology, a freight train of a given length can carry roughly twice as many containers, sharply reducing transport costs per container. On United States railroads special well cars are used for double-stack shipment to reduce the needed vertical clearance and to lower the centre of gravity of a loaded car. In addition, the well car design reduces damage in transit and provides greater cargo security by cradling the lower containers so their doors cannot be opened. A succession of larger container sizes have been introduced to further increase ship-

ping productivity in the United States.

Southern Pacific Railroad (SP), and American Car Foundry, devised the double-stack intermodal car in 1977. The double-stack idea was originally proposed by Don Orris. He would devise the idea while working at the Denver Rio Grande & Western. SP then designed the first car with ACF Industries that same year. At first it was slow to become an industry standard, then in 1984 American President Lines, started working with the Union Pacific Railroad and that same year, the first all double-stack train left Los Angeles, California for South Kearny, New Jersey, under the name of "Stacktrain" rail service. Along the way the train transferred from the UP to the Chicago and North Western Railway and then to Conrail.

Stacking containers

Forty-foot containers are the standard unit length and load bearing points are at the ends of such containers. Longer containers, such as 45, 48 and 53 feet long, still have the load bearing points 40 feet apart, with the excess protruding equally outside this length. Therefore, 40-foot containers, or larger, can be stacked on 20-foot containers if there are two 20-foot containers in a row; however, 20-foot containers cannot be stacked on top of 40-foot or longer containers.

The possible double-stacking patterns are: two 20 ft in lower and one 40 ft (or longer) in upper stack (allowed in India, China); one 40 ft in lower and another 40 ft (or longer) in upper stack (allowed in India); two 20 ft in lower and another set of two 20 ft in upper stack (possible in well-type cars, in the USA).

The container coupling holes are all female and double male twistlocks are required to securely mate container stacks together.

Intermodal containers shipped by rail within North America are primarily 53 feet (16.15 m) long, with trailer-on-flat-car (TOFC) units used as well. The 53-foot length reflects a common maximum length for highway semi-trailers, which varies by state. Major domestic US intermodal carriers include: J. B. Hunt; Swift; Schneider National; and, Hub Group.

Containers shipped between North America and other continents consist of mostly 40-foot (12.19 m) and some 45-foot (13.72 m) and 20-foot (6.10 m) containers. Container ships only take 40's, 20's and also 45's above deck: 90% of the containers that these ships carry are 40-footers and 90% of the world's freight moves on container ships; so 81% of the world's freight moves by 40-foot containers. Most of these 40-foot containers are owned by non-US companies like Maersk, MSC, and CMA CGM. The only US 40-foot container companies are leasing companies like Textainer, Triton International and CAI Leasing.

Intermodal traffic

Intermodal volumes show no sign of an inflection point into positive territory and are unlikely to show one for the foreseeable future, predicts FTR Transportation Intelligence. Intermodal will be in a negative competitive position through most of 2023 and 2024 before edging up as competing trucking capacity tightens up.

Import slowdowns and shifting have added to intermodal’s malaise by making truck more competitive as length of haul lessens relative to the 2000-mile lengths of haul that are common for imports from the US west coast.

Domestic volumes are expected to fare worse in 2023 than their international counterparts because of the lack of transloading infrastructure at non-US

INTERMODAL

west coast port complexes. Somewhat concerning for overall intermodal growth is the lack of trailer conversions to container freight.

FTR Transportation Intelligence notes rail rates for intermodal freight are expected to decline on a year-over-year basis during the first three quarters of 2023 before turning up slightly as the peak season ramps up.

This will be in sharp contrast to the outlook for carload rates which are expected to see increases remain in the mid-single digits and possibly higher.

Carriers have been steadfast in their focus on rail inflation-plus pricing in recent years and there is no

sign that will change any time soon. In fact, that focus is likely to be even more intense in the wake of last year’s labour agreement which will lead to higher employment costs for the carrier over the life of the agreement.

Most have already made the sizeable back-pay payments required under the retroactive aspect of the agreement.

As carriers move toward local negotiations, the costs of the contract may continue to rise due to additional paid time off. Those costs will ultimately be passed on to shippers in the form of higher rates, concludes the transport consultants.

INTERMODAL TX LOGISTIK INCREASES IN COMBINED TRANSPORT

INCREASES FREQUENCY TRANSPORT WITH ITALY

TX Logistik AG is further expanding its intermodal connections between Germany and Italy. As of February 22, the rail logistics company, which is part of the Mercitalia Group, will expand the number of weekly round trips on the route between Rostock and Verona from four to six. The reason for the higher frequency is the increased demand for trailer transports by rail.

In the first few weeks of the year, TX Logistik has already increased the number of trains to Italy on other routes. The connection between Leipzig and Sommacampagna-Sona, around ten kilometres west of Verona, has been increased by two more round trips from eight to ten per week.

Additional intermodal

trains also run from Lübeck to northern Italy. Between the Baltic Rail Gate in the Hanseatic city and the Quadrante Europa terminal in Verona, TX has added an additional eighth round trip to the service. For the second Lübeck connection to the Milan metropolitan region, the number of round trips has been increased by two up to four. Instead of Melzo, the terminal in Segrate will now be served. The terminal is even closer to the metropolis of Milan and the industrial areas of Bergamo and Brescia. In addition, numerous Mercitalia connections to other destinations in the Italian railway network, for example to Rome, Naples and Sicily, can also be used over there.

INTERMODAL BERLIN SUPPORTS HELROM TRAILER WAGON WITH €15 MILLION

THE market launch of the Helrom trailer wagon is being supported as part of the German federal programme “Future Rail Freight Transport” by the German Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport with €15 million.

Road traffic is responsible for 20% of all CO2 emissions. Truck transport involving freight traffic constitutes a significant portion of this. About 74% of road freight traffic is handled by truck trailers, which impose a considerable burden on the environment and overload the road network. But to date, only two per cent of truck trailers are transported by rail.

The reasons for this are technological and economic barriers. Almost all of the trailers used in Europe are non-craneable and previously could only be transported on a train with great inconvenience.

Considerable investments in central loading terminals with long construction times would be needed. The technology of the Helrom trailer wagon now offers the option for the first time of overcoming these barri-

ers – a decisive precondition for realising the transport transition planned by the German federal government in goods transport to the extent required.

The Helrom trailer wagon is currently the only market-ready system facilitating the horizontal loading of truck trailers without a loading terminal. An asphalted surface next to the track is enough. The Helrom trailer wagon opens up at the side and the trailer is shifted onto the wagon.

As a result, the loading process can occur everywhere in a few minutes where a suitable area is available next to the rails. Setting up a new loading hub is possible without major construction projects within a very short period.

The elimination of expensive terminals allows industry and commerce to load truck trailers exactly there on the rails where it makes economic and logistical sense.

The Helrom Trailer Rail has been in great demand

since being deployed between Dusseldorf and Vienna in 2020 and has passed the daily practice test very successfully. Helrom GmbH operates the Trailer Rail transport completely independently with its own trains, train drivers and personnel.

Up to the end of 2022, more than 680 Trailer Rail trains have already travelled this route. As a result, at least 16,000 truck trailers of numerous forwarders and loading agents were taken off the roads and moved onto the rail.

This corresponds to a saving of over 10,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions.

Proven potential

The federal German programme “Future Rail Freight Transport” has set itself the goal of supporting the market launch of technological innovations, which have the proven potential of “boosting the economic

efficiency, flexibility or logistical capacity of goods rail transport in Germany”. The support from the BMDV makes it possible for Helrom GmbH to continue the growth path it has taken to a comprehensive market launch with great vigour.

Roman Noack, CEO of Helrom GmbH, emphasised the importance of this sponsorship: “The sponsorship of about €15 million is a great honour for us. It is a tremendous success for the transport transition in Germany and for our goal of net zero transport. We have successfully proven that a significant reduction in CO2 emissions is realisable in freight transport in just a few years – flexibly, comprehensively and without major infrastructure investments.

"Our solution is economically feasible and very easy to implement. As a result, we not only offer big corporations a real alternative to road transport, we open use of the railways for the first time to all small and medium-sized companies," he said.

GATX and Trifleet advance

FOR GATX Rail Europe, transport is synonymous with offering clients the safest and most sustainable and efficient railcar leasing solution possible. That is why it is constantly seeking forward progress. This was recently achieved with the Trifleet collaboration involving intermodal transport by adopting a safe, new method for transporting Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG).The combination of both assets, GATX railcars and Trifleet containers, gives customers the possibility to build a target-oriented and distinctly sustainable

supply chain. All in all, the solution will allow customers to transport up to approximately 750 tonnes of LNG per block train and integrate the benefits of full intermodality. LNG is the energy source for the future, as it offers an alternative technology bridge to the next 15-20 years. Essentially, it can become a substitute fuel, thus appeasing some of Europe’s current dependence on gas. Germany, for example, has already taken the initiative to invest in LNG terminals. In the race to diversify energy sources

advance sustainable transport

and move toward more sustainable sources altogether, the only option left for the transport industry is to move instep with upgraded and sustainably functional operations.

This is why GATX Rail Europe is now happy to offer its clients a climate-neutral, intermodal transportation option for LNG cargo.

Under the intermodal solution, GATX Rail Europe can offer clients the possibility to fit up to 44 containers per 580 metre block train and a 34 ton LNG payload per rail-

car. The train, if on- and offload infrastructure allows it, can be as long as 815m, allowing for 31 cars or 62 containers in total.

Compared to conventional railcars, full intermodality offers a leeway that a car or container can be repaired independently with no down time alongside the highly efficient storability of the stackable containers. Built according to laws and regulations, containers are carefully designed for complete intermodality.

Intermodal falls at Kiel after rail disruptions

THE development of intermodal transport at the Port of Kiel / Seehafen Kiel, Germany in 2022 was characterised by the declines at the Ostuferhafen.

Despite stable volume development at Schwedenkai and Norwegenkai, the overall balance in the intermodal sector remained below expectations.

With 28,900 loading units (2022), the result does not correspond to the company's actual long-term planning - the target was 35,000 loading units in 2022. In addition, many trains had to be suspended last year or suffered considerable delays, among other things due to network problems.

Nevertheless, there is cautious optimism about the development of intermodal in the coming years, said Dr Dirk Claus, Managing Director of Seehafen Kiel, because customer demand for environmentally friendly logistics products is increasing.

Claus said: "The broad positioning of the company has led us relatively well through challenging times in the past years and is also compensating for declines in certain areas this year.

"In this context, I would also like to thank our 360 employees who have done a great job in 2022. Even though the coming year will certainly be challenging once again, we are optimistic about the future."

Q4 INTERMODAL VOLUME ROUNDS OUT 2022

TOTAL intermodal volume fell 3.6% year-over-year in the fourth quarter of 2022, according to the Intermodal Association of North America’s Intermodal Quarterly report. US domestic containers and trailers dropped 4.2% and 29.7% respectively, while international containers managed 0.9% growth. Total volume for all of 2022 showed a 3.9% decline.

“The past year presented challenges for intermodal. All four quarters posted negative output,” said Joni Casey, President and CEO of IANA. “The industry continues to address equipment availability, facility capacity and service with the goal of turning things around in 2023.”

All but one of the seven highest-density trade corridors, which collectively handled more than 60% of total volume, were down in the fourth quarter. The Trans-Canada corridor, with a 7.0% gain, was the exception. The Southeast-Southwest, dropped by 14.2%, the largest decline, followed by the South Central-Southwest which lost 6.7%. The Northeast-Midwest, Intra-Southeast and Midwest-Southwest were off by 4.9%, 3.3% and 3.1%, respectively. The Midwest-Northwest held losses to 2.6%.

Total IMC volume contracted 26.6% year-over-year in Q4, with intermodal down 17.8%. Highway loads fell 31.0%.

In 2023, Freight Tracks issues will contain a series of monthly in-depth feature articles on rail freight business topics.

Our writers will look at the subject from different angles to give a 360o oversight. These will be perfect places for advertisements to reach your customers.

editor@freight-tracks.com

January

Rolling stock leasing

February

Intermodal

March

Rail freight software

April

Personnel training

May

Rolling stock design

June

Rolling stock leasing

July

Automotive

August

EU rail freight

September

North American rail freight

October

UK & Ireland rail freight

November

Freight locomotives

December

Prospects for 2024

International Comparison of Rail Freight Rates

Canada's rail freight rates are the lowest - report

A LEADING independent global transportation consulting firm, CPCS, says Canada's rail freight rates are the lowest of major market-based economies in the world it surveyed, including the United States.

The findings, contained in a new CPCS report entitled International Comparison of Rail Freight Rates, concluded that Canada's average rail freight rate is 11% lower than that of the US.

Using publicly available data, the study, which surveyed 11 countries representing two-thirds of global GDP, finds Canadian rates are significantly lower than those of market-based economies in Europe and Asia – all of them leading trading nations like Canada.

"We've known for a long time that Canada's freight railways are the safest in North America. They are also the most cost effective on the continent and have among the lowest rates in the world," says Marc Brazeau, President and CEO of the Railways Association of Canada (RAC).

Brazeau adds: "Canada's railways are providing world-leading value to their customers and all Canadians. Our very efficient and highly competitive freight rail system is delivering industry-leading safety performance, high levels of

private-sector capital investment, and pioneering innovation, at virtually the lowest cost to shippers anywhere in the world. This is an incredible advantage for the Canadian economy that should not be jeopardised by more government regulation."

The CPCS study compared railway freight rates across 11 countries, including Canada, all of which are home to high-performing rail systems. Here's what the report found: In 2021, shippers paid 4.16 US cents per revenue tonmile on railways in Canada and Western grain shippers paid nearly 30% less than the average rate at just 2.97 US cents per revenue ton-mile.

Canadian rail freight rates have grown more slowly than U.S. rates — 43% vs. 72% — over the last 33 years and at less than half the rate of commodity and general prices over that same period.

Brazeau underscores: "Now more than ever, we need to keep our rail system healthy and strong. We need to promote policies that encourage private-sector investment to build capacity and deliver for Canada's economy. More government regulation will only add complexity, create chokepoints, and drive-up costs for shippers and consumers alike."

The Report International Comparison of Railway Freight Rates

Prepared for: Railway Association of Canada (RAC)

Prepared by:

CPCS was requested by the Railway Association of Canada (RAC) to conduct an independent examination comparing railway freight rates internationally and to prepare a report on this work. No confidential data is used in this report. Most of the data used are readily available to the public and links to access this are included, while certain non-confidential data has come from the Association of American Railroads (AAR) on US railways and the International Union of Railways/Union Internationale des Chemins de fer (UIC) on European railways.

The intention of the study is to compare average railway freight rates at the national level, measured for purposes of international comparison as railway annual freight revenues per revenue tonmile (RTM) for 2021 in US cents. The conversion to US currency is made on the basis of purchasing power parity or PPP. Except for determining the average rail rate for Western Canadian grain, this study does not present rail rates at a commodity or subnational level. Railway freight revenue per RTM converted on the basis of PPP is a credible basis for comparison of national average rail freight rates across countries. For example, this approach has been used by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) for similar research.

Individual shippers may, of course, pay freight rates that are higher or lower than the average. Rail rates can vary significantly depending on many factors such as commodity, distance, and volume, among others. A detailed analysis at a commodity or subnational level is the scope of this review and, in general, would require substantial data that are not publicly available.

In addition to the intercountry comparison the study is supplemented by an examination of trends; Canadian railway freight rates are examined vis-à-vis the trends in prices in general and in US railway freight rates.

2 Data and Methodology

2.1 Railways Included in the Intercountry Comparison

The railways included in the intercountry comparison, and whose data have been aggregated to

The Report

produce the national level results, are as follows:

• In Canada, the data is from RAC’s Rail Trends 2022 report, which covers virtually all railways in Canada, and is specific to Canadian railway operations, i.e., excludes the US operations of CN and Canadian Pacific.

• In the US, the railways include the Class I railroads, excluding the US operations of CN and CP. These are Burlington North Santa Fe (BNSF), CSX, Kansas City Southern (KCS), Norfolk Southern (NS) and Union Pacific (UP).

• Four European countries: France, Germany, Italy and Spain are covered. For these countries, national freight rail statistics are taken from a database provided by the International Union of Railways (UIC), obtained via RAC. The freight operators covered are SNCF for France, Deutsche Bahn (DB) for Germany, Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane (FS) for Italy, and Renfe for Spain.

• In China, the China State Railway Group (China Railway) is the national, government-owned passenger and freight rail corporation.

• In Japan, Japan Railways Group (JR Group) is the successor to the national railway, and includes seven companies of which one, Japan Freight Railway Company (JR Freight), operates nationwide freight service (the other six operate passenger services).

• In India, Indian Railways is the national railway owned by the government, and is the primary operator for both passenger and freight operations.

• In Russia, Russian Railways is the national, government-owned passenger and freight rail corporation.

Australia would be an important country to include because of its many similarities to Canada. However, sufficient data is not available and Australia has been excluded from the international comparison. In Australia, the largest freight rail operators are Aurizon, Pacific National and SCT Logistics. The latter two are privately owned and up-to-date information on their freight rail operations was not identified as available, while Aurizon’s freight rail operations are predominately focused on coal.

2.2 Rail Freight Revenues

The collected data for rail freight revenues, along with sources and links provided for convenience, which we have reviewed for appropriateness. Where the source is not a primary source, we examined additional sources to confirm the reasonableness of the value used. In some cases, companies that operate rail freight services may have other or secondary smaller sources of income. To the extent possible from the available sources, we have excluded non-rail-freight revenues.

2.3 Rail Freight Volumes

A standard unit of output for rail freight is RTM (or net tonne-kilometres), where one ton-mile (tonne-kilometre) corresponds to the equivalent of one ton (tonne) carried over a distance of one mile (kilometre). RTM (or net tonne-kilometres) takes into account both the tonnage carried as well as the length of haul.

“Revenue” and “net” refer to the revenue-generating freight tonnage only, excluding the weight of equipment used. As with the rail freight revenues, we reviewed the sources for appropriateness, and where the source consulted was not a primary source, examined additional sources to assess general reasonableness.

3 International Comparison

3.1 National Average Rail Freight Rates

Average rail freight rates in this study are computed by dividing total rail freight revenues measured in a common currency by their corresponding total rail freight volumes measured on the same basis. This a reasonable and standard approach for undertaking highly aggregate, national-level compari- 4

The Report

sons since it places the revenue and traffic from all countries on the same basis, thereby enabling direct and valid assessments.

For rail freight volume, the US predominantly uses ton-miles, while overseas tonne-kilometres are more common. In Canada, both units are sometimes used but this report uses ton-miles. In order to facilitate comparison, the data from the various countries must be converted into standardised units. We use the following types of conversions:

1) To compare freight rates across countries, currencies are converted to US-dollar equivalents using Purchasing Power Parity or PPP. Since all of the data in the crosscountry comparison are essentially for the same year (calendar year 2021 or fiscal year 2020-2021, as the case may be) there is no adjustment for inflation.

2) Conversion of revenue freight volumes to a common unit – i.e., revenue ton-miles (RTMs)

3.2 Western Canadian Grain Rail Maximum Revenue Entitlement Rate

The carriage of Western Canadian grain on Canada’s railways is subject to a unique regulatory provision, namely, a limit or cap on the amount of revenues that CN and CP may earn in any given crop year in transporting western grain, known as the Maximum Grain Revenue Entitlement (MRE).

Effectively, the MRE is a form of indirect rate regulation under Canadian law. No other commodity transported on Canada’s railways is subject to such a statutory revenue limitation. The MRE was introduced in 2000 to replace a more restrictive regime of maximum regulated grain freight rates, and made two basic changes: (1) instead of a cap on grain rates, the MRE placed a ceiling on the total revenues CN and CP could earn for moving western grain in any crop year, effectively constraining the average rate that CN and CP could charge; and (2) it provided CN and CP with much greater freedom in establishing the individual rates for moving western grain.

However, the MRE was always intended to be a transitional step towards shifting the rail transportation of western grain to a more fully commercial regime like all other commodities.13 In addition, the

Implied MRE Average Rail Freight Rate per RTM, 2021-2022 Crop Year

recommendations of both the Canada Transportation Act Review Panel in 2001 and the Canada Transportation Review in 2015 contemplated the elimination of the MRE.

Given the impact of its regulatory treatment, it is appropriate to present, along with the overall average rail freight rate in Canada, the implied MRE rail rate. As shown below, the MRE rail rate per RTM is 2.97 (crop year 2021-2022, US cents), as compared to the overall average Canadian rail rate per RTM of 4.16 (2021, US cents).

The implied MRE rate is 29% lower than the overall average Canadian freight rate.

3.3 Rail Freight Rates Comparison

The countries are ordered from lowest to highest. Canada’s revenue per RTM is 4.16 cents (US). According to the analysis, Russia and China have the lowest values, although the validity of a comparison with those countries may be limited as their railways are state-owned and operated entities. India, where the railway is also government owned and operated, and Japan show the highest rates. Canada has a somewhat lower average freight rate compared to the US, and also significantly lower than the European countries examined. Australia, as noted, is omitted from the comparison because of the limited data available which relate predominantly to Australia’s leading coal transport service. Notably, Canadian freight revenue per RTM for coal shipments alone is more than 20% lower than the estimable Australian rates.

4 Trend Analysis

This chapter supplements the preceding intercountry comparison of railway freight rates by examining the trend in railway freight rates since enactment of the National Transportation Act, 1987 (NTA 1987). The NTA 1987 introduced major reforms to the regulation of railway pricing in Canada. The purpose was to promote greater competition

Rail Freight Revenue Data

Canada 2021 CAD 15,841mil

BNSF 2021 USD 22,274 mil

CSX 2021 USD 11,368 mil

KCS 2021 USD 2,797 mil

NS 2021 USD 11,142 mil

UP 2021 USD 20,244 mil

France – SNCF 2021 EUR 641 mil

Germany – DB 2021 EUR 4,195 mil

Italy – FS 2021 EUR 796 mil

Spain - RENFE 2021 EUR 175 mil

China (total) 2021 USD 51,800 mil

Japan – JR Freight 2021 JPY 151.3 bill

Indian Railways 2020/1INR 111,472 crore

Russian Railways 2021 RUB 1,613 bil

Rail Freight Volume Data

Canada 2021 RTM 303,883

BNSF 2021 RTM 621,451

CSX 2021 RTM 193,200

KCS 2021 RTM 52,549

NS 2021 RTM 178,000

UP 2021 RTM 411,273

France – SNCF 2021 TKM 15,870

Germany – DB 2021 TKM 84,850

Italy – FS 2021 TKM 21,880

Spain - RENFE 2021 TKM 5,638

China (total) 2021 TKM 3,319,000

Japan – JR Freight 2021 TKM 18,040

Indian Railways 2020/1 NTK 719,762

Russian Railways 2021 TKM 2,639,000

The Report

among railways, in particular by allowing railways and shippers to negotiate confidential contracts. The NTA 1987 also introduced new mechanisms for resolving disputes, including Final Offer Arbitration (FOA). Adoption of the NTA 1987 followed the railway regulatory reforms introduced in the US in 1980 through passage of the Staggers Act.

The trend in Canadian railway freight rates is examined here from two perspectives: vis-à-vis the trends in prices in general; and vis-à-vis the trend in US railway freight rates. are a significant impact on the total price growth between 1988 and 2021. Canadian average railway freight rates have risen by a total of 43% between 1988 and 2021, while US rates have grown 72%. Both industrial prices and consumer prices have increased substantially more than the Canadian and US rail freight rates, while commodity prices have more than doubled, having increased by 120%.

4.1 Rail Freight Rates Versus General Price Indexes

The total increase since 1988 (the first year after enactment of the NTA 1987) in Canadian railway freight rates versus US railway freight rates, the Canadian Industrial Product Price Index (IPPI), the Canadian Consumer Price Index (CPI) and the Bank of Canada Commodity Price Index (BCPI) is shown on the table to the left.

The BCPI is an index of the spot prices, in US dollars, of 26 commodities produced in Canada and sold in world markets. All variables have been expressed in index form with 1988 equal to 100. US railway freight rates in Figure 7 have been converted to Canadian dollar terms using the CanadaUS dollar exchange rate.19 As the Canada-US exchange rates were similar in 1988 (0.81255) and 2021 (0.79753), the exchange rate does not have a significant impact on the total price growth between 1988 and 2021.

4.2 Canada Versus US Rail Freight Rates

The Canada-US trade relationship is one of the world’s largest, with Canada’s bilateral trade with

Comparative Statistics for Freight Revenue, Volume and Rates

the US totalling $774 billion (CAD) in 2021. The countries, because of their proximity, also by unprecedented integration of their supply chains. Railways in Canada and the US, however, have operated within an integrated network for far longer, since the late 1800s. These ties prompt a closer examination of Canadian versus US rail freight rates. While there is an evident strong correlation between the two series, US rail rates increased considerably faster over the period than Canadian rail rates. From 1988 through 2021, rail freight rates in the US grew by an average of 1.7% per year, compared to an increase of 1.1% per year in Canada..Note, however, that this faster growth is actually due to the relative performance since 2010, which has also resulted in average rail rates in Canada being lower than those in the US since 2015 (Canadian rates averaging about 12% below US rates).

CSX reaches agreement with BMWED and BRC on paid sick leave

CSX has reached agreements with two unions that provide paid sick leave for approximately 5,000 railroad workers.

The agreements were reached with the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way (BMWED), which represent engineering employees, and the Brotherhood of Railway Carmen (BRC), representing mechanical workers.

Joe Hinrichs, President and Chief Executive Officer of CSX stated: “CSX is committed to listening to our railroaders and working with their representatives to find solutions that improve their quality of life and experience as employees.

"These agreements demonstrate that commitment and are a direct result of the collaborative relationship we are working to cultivate with all of the unions that represent CSX employees. We greatly appreciate the leadership of the BMWED and BRC in working towards these agreements.”

Nearly 4000 BMWED and over 1000 BRC workers are employed with CSX. The company has great respect for the work performed by its front-line employees to provide safe, reliable rail service for the nation, and will continue to pursue similar agreements with its remaining unions.

Supporting Single Wagon Traffic without Distorting Competition

AT European and national levels, discussions are ongoing on the development of financing systems to support single wagon traffic. The Brussels-based ERFA (European Rail Freight Association) recognises that financial support for Single Wagon Traffic (SWT) can play an key role in achieving the modal shift targets set out in the European Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy, but such aid must focus on last-mile services and not distort competition with other rail freight services.

Firstly, it must be recognised that any financial support granted to rail freight undertakings has the potential to distort competition. It is essential that where financial aid is granted to SWT, activities of the operator – which mostly will be the national incumbent - in must be separated organisationally and financially from other rail freight services such as block train operations. Competition in block train segments between incumbents and challengers could otherwise be distorted.

Secondly financial aid should be limited and be targeted where there is a sectoral benefit which incentivises volume growth and potential for modal shift from road to rail.

Thirdly any financial aid should be stimulating efficiencies and facilitate possible co-operation between railway undertakings to avoid redundancies.

Fourthly, direct aid to specific rail freight undertakings should be avoided and any aid mechanism should be nondiscriminatory, which means that definitions of relevant concepts (such as sidings, shunting tracks) should not advantage a particular market participant. The focus of aid should be placed on financially supporting costs of the last-mile services which should be offered non-discriminatorily to all market players.

If in the future Public Service Obligations (PSOs) for SWT would be possible, the PSOs should be set up in such a way that they are not discriminatory and tendered transparently on a regular basis. Crucially, financial aid for SWT should not be admissible where it distorts competition with other rail freight services which are viable without support (such as block train

traffic or even the long-haul part of conventional freight trains). An artificial transfer of today’s block trains volumes back to subsidised SWT is not acceptable. To avoid that, the SWT support mechanism should focus on client sidings with SWT and/or include shunting operations at a shunting yard (different from the client siding).

The focus of support for SWT should instead be where it is most needed and of most use to the sector, namely the costly part of last-mile and not for long-haul trains between marshalling yards. This means the focus of aid should be on a subsidy per maneuver (last mile service), especially for less used sidings (low volumes and frequency of service), as opposed to subsidies which support long-haul operations via SWT.

ERFA President, Dirk Stahl, stated: “Operational aid can play an important role in the development of the rail freight market, but it needs to be targeted and focused. State aid must not be used to support unviable business practices or undermine competition. Support for SWT can be positive for the sector, but only where there is a clear understanding of the role of such aid, namely last mile connections, and conditional to organisational and financial separation of the activities in receipt of financial aid which is enshrined in law.”

TAPPING INTO A GOOD IDEA

CN employees unite against single-use plastics

cost savings generated into new capital projects.

CN’s EcoConnexions program has long encouraged the use of reusable water bottles at the railroad and employees have enthusiastically supported the move to more sustainable water solutions, such as water fountains and dispensers.

The EcoConnexions team recently compiled a list of 170 requests for water stations from EcoChampions across various functions and worked with a project team, including Vince Power, Manager, Facility Management, Eric Tsoi, Supervisor, Facility Maintenance, and John Keating, Supervisor, Facility Maintenance, to get the project started. In 2021 and 2022, CN used some of the EcoFund to install 60 water stations in 19 yards. And the good idea will continue to flow.

Water stations

CN supports global efforts to reduce harmful plastic waste and that means finding solutions to reduce single-use plastic water bottles in our rail yards and offices wherever possible.

CN’s EcoConnexions Employee Engagement programme empowers employees and their families to conserve energy, reduce waste, and improve housekeeping. Investments for these initiatives are supported by our $5-million CN EcoFund, which reinvests

“In 2023,” says Sabrina Antoniazzi, Project Manager, Facility Management at CN, “we aim to continuously invest in water stations across our network. But before installation, because safety is our core value, we have a third party conduct a water analysis to ensure the water is safe to drink. It’s all part of efforts to reduce single-use plastic.”

CN’s EcoConnexions Employee Engagement program – a partnership with Earth Rangers – drives sustainability across CN's network by empowering employees and their families to conserve energy, reduce waste, and improve housekeeping.

RCG transports new TGV

ÖBB RAIL Cargo Group (RCG) doesn’t just transport ordinary goods such as steel, wood and grain; it moves entire trains too. The second special transport of a TGV for RCG’s client Alstom will take place in February.

The new TGV will be used for passenger transport in France from 2024. TGV is one of the best-known types of high-speed train in the world, having set several records for reaching up to 350 km/h. The new trains are produced by Alstom in France and will race through the countryside for SNCF, the French state railway company. Before that, however, they need to undergo extensive testing. This is where RCG comes into the frame.

Special transport through Austria

The first TGV was transported from France to the test site in the Czech Republic in December. Several railway undertakings were involved in the operation. RCG

was responsible for the transit through Austria. The following video shows the journey taking place.

There are empty freight wagons in front of and behind the TGV. These are connected to the locomotive and serve as brake wagons, as the TGV cannot brake for itself while being transported.

As the train has not yet been licensed, it needed a special permit to travel as an extraordinary consignment. RCG special transports unit takes care of that.

TGV M no. 2 is on its way

Alstom’s second train will be brought from France to Austria in February.

Once again, RCG will take care of the stretch that goes through Austria.

The TGV M will then be assessed for temperature, wind and humidity, among other things, in Vienna’s Climatic Wind Tunnel.

Snow and ice – gritting salt

ÖBB

BY Tatjana Sickl.

communicator,

ÖBB Rail Cargo

Rail Cargo Group (RCG) uses innovative MOBILER logistics to transport AG to the Port of Vienna.

A HUGE amount of salt is needed in winter to keep Vienna’s roads and pavements ice-free all the time, including in snowstorms and sub-zero temperatures. But where does it come from and how does it get to the big cities? The short answer: on our MOBILER containers. The salt starts its journey in Austria’s Salzkammergut, 255 kilometres away. Here, the salt is extracted and processed by Salinen Austria AG at its Altaussee, Hallstatt and Bad Ischl sites. Every year, four

million cubic metres of brine are used to produce 1.2 million tonnes of salt.

Safe and speedy

Once the salt has been processed, it is time for RCG to take over. That’s because it’s up to us to transport the salt from Ebensee in Upper Austria to Freudenau, part of the Port of

salt comes by MOBILER

transport large quantities of salt produced by Salinen Austria Cargo Group

Vienna, where the salt goes into temporary storage. This is where the innovative MOBILER containers come into play. These combine the benefits of environmentally friendly rail transport with flexible road freight transport in a single system.

A hydraulic lifting mechanism on MOBILER vehicles enables quick and easy transshipment between truck and wagon – no crane or siding needed. This also means that the salt shipments do not require any staff for unloading at the port – the containers can be emptied directly into warehouses using MOBILER vehicles. Once it is no longer possible to unload

directly into the depot, the salt is fed into boxes in the warehouse via a hopper and conveyor belt.

RCG transport gritting salt from Ebensee to Vienna every week. Our trains are 200 metres long, consist of groups of five wagons and weigh about 500 tonnes each. In January 2023 alone, 2000 tonnes of salt were delivered to the country’s capital. As well as the rail transport and the wagon and container positioning, RCG also organises unloading in the port area.

Long-time partners

With 550 employees, Salinen Austria AG is one of the leading salt manufacturers in Europe and has been a partner of RCG for many years. The gritting salt that we transport for Salinen Austria in an environmentally friendly way by rail comes to about 30,000 tonnes every year, depending on the weather and precipitation levels. This corresponds to an annual saving of about 1200 truck journeys.

CEO Peter Untersperger said: “The supply chain by train from Ebensee to Freudenau is the most sustainable and effective transport solution for Austria.”

MARS welcomes new officers and executive director

A SLATE of new officers, along with a new executive director, were introduced at the recent Winter Meeting of the Midwest Association of Rail Shippers (MARS).

The Winter Meeting set a record for MARS with more than 950 attendees.

The next gathering will be the Summer Meeting scheduled for July 10–11 in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.

The 2023 MARS officers are: President Kathy Bathurst, CSX Transportation, Riverdale, Illinois; First Vice President Matt O'Kray, Transtar, Chicago, Illinois; and Second Vice President Steve Blinn, Norfolk Southern, Orland Park, Illinois. The Immediate Past President is Carrie Evans, Iowa Interstate Railroad, Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

New members of the MARS Executive Committee are: Peggy Emeis, Watco Companies, Kalamazoo, Michigan; Doug Grewe, Packaging Corporation of

America, Lake Forest, Illinois; Brian Jonaitis, The Indiana Railroad Company, Indianapolis, Indiana; and Grant Keyser, TrinityRail, Dallas, Texas.

The MARS leadership team will be supported by incoming Executive Director Tracy Stein. She replaces William Schauer who has retired after serving the association for 15 years.

“While the MARS membership will greatly miss Bill Schauer and his tireless efforts to support the organisation, we are very excited to welcome Tracy Stein as our new executive director," said President Kathy Bathurst. "We look forward to Tracy’s perspective and expertise, as we move forward with our 2023 events.”

Bathurst said the recent Winter Meeting included some new features—such as the Women in Transportation Reception and an expanded Vendor Exhibition—that were well received and provided excellent networking opportunities.

Uncle Sam makes Cody Stackis a Patriot

CODY Stackis a process improvement manager at Wabtec was recently recognised by the US Department of Defense’s Employee Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) with the "Patriot" award for his unwavering support for veterans and their families. He was nominated for the prestigious honour by another Wabtec employee, Alice Konecny, a PTC System Analyst.

tion and also felt a gratitude to Tim’s service to our nation. When things got really bad, Stackis suggested that Alice work from home to make it easier for her family.

As Tim puts it: “I was I was floored by this gesture, and can say it has improved my quality of life. Wabtec truly deserves the Patriot Award. They not only allowed my wife to nurse this old warrior,

Alice’s husband, Tim, retired as a Sergeant First Class after 20 years in the United States Marine Corps, US Army reserves and Army National Guard. He was twice deployed and became a medic in the National Guard and ended his career as a qualified instructor in the Army Reserve.

He loved serving his country, and would have continued had it not been for a debilitating back injury from years of service.

Over the years, Alice has needed extra time off to help her husband through eight different back surgeries. This is where Stackis comes in as a true servant leader. He was empathetic to Alice’s situa-

they also support the military in many ways. I can’t even put into words how thankful I am to Cody and Wabtec for their caring and support. And they can hang the award proudly for their Patriotism. God bless Wabtec!”

Congratulations to Cody for his big heart, for putting people first and exuding the One Wabtec spirit, this award is well deservedm says the company. The Employee Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), was established in 1972 by the US Department of Defense to promote co-operation and understanding between Reserve Component Service members and their civilian employers.

Does size matter?

By Daniel Pyke

IF you look back at the railway 100 years ago, even 200 years ago looking back at the earliest railways, you'd see something still recognisable at it's heart - the rails.

Over this time rails have evolved their shape with flat bottomed "Vignoles" rail being the most common in use today - but other special shapes being used still too.

The biggest evolution (aside from the metallurgy and quality which is difficult to see), is the rail length. The first railways used rails less than 2 metres in length, whereas todays railways may use 120 metre long rails. Why?

Is bigger really better?

Why have rail lengths increased by so much? There are many reasons, but I’ll explore a few in this article.

Joining rails reliably is not easy. Now before I get various suppliers jumping in with "our failure rate is 10 times lower than competitor products" etc, I'll point out that every joining method has a failure rate and, (so far at least), those failure rates are much higher than the parent, (unjoined), rail. So every time you add a joint of any type (weld, fishplate etc), you introduce an increased risk of failure at that point. It stands to reason you want to avoid adding potential problem points into your network where practical.

If we take a look at the number of joints needed to make a single kilometre of track, you’ll see just what a huge effect on the number of joints needed the rail length has.

So given a choice using longer rails seems a smarter choice to reduce risk/failure rates. So far my article has mostly been theoretical - does the data back this up? The data below is a few years old now but is an amalgamation of rail failure statistics from both the UK and France so hopefully representative of European practices where long length rails are already routinely used.

Over one third of the broken rails are from

- It Rail-ly does

the rail ends and roughly a third are fatigue related and the last third for other or unknown/unclassified reasons.

If you use longer rails you minimise a significant portion of observed failures of rail ends. It must be noted that these networks already use long length rails.

If I went back 30 years, we would see the rail ends slice of the pie be larger again in both proportion and sadly number of failures too.

Rail joints require maintenance

Now aside from the failure risk, there is also the added cost of maintaining rail joints. Fishplates have an obvious cost of bolt tightening and lubrication, but dipped joints (both fishplate and welded joints) require intervention to correct alignment

and restore smooth running which all adds maintenance costs too. If a joint isn't there - it doesn't require inspecting and maintaining!

Rail joints degrade both track and train

The physical joint between rails results in discontinuous properties across the length of the joint. With a fishplate there is an obvious impact noise and force as the wheel load transfers from one rail to the next which affects both ballast life and vehicle components too.

With welded joints the differences are more subtle but dipped or cupped welded joints increase dynamic track and train forces in the same way accelerating the degradation of the entire track and train system. Again if a joint is avoided

then the source of the discontinuity is no longer there and the system degradation is slowed.

So size DOES matter!

Hopefully it is clear that size does indeed matter - at least for rails, and why rail lengths have increased over time. The challenge is of course producing and handling these rail lengths, but perhaps those are articles for another day.

Daniel is currently seeking new challenges in the rail / engineering / marketing areas - get in touch through Freight Tracks if you think he can bring something to your team.

Snow joke for 'Sierra

UPTON and his fellow “Sierra Snow Fighters” are responsible for clearing the tracks and keeping the trains running in one of the snowiest stretches of railroad tracks in North America.

The magnitude of their job can be summed up with one mind-boggling metric: 38 feet. That’s the average snowfall at Donner Summit, one of the highest points of their service unit.

“We are a proud, get-it-done railroad team. While everyone else is waiting for the storm to pass or the highways to reopen, our Union Pacific crew is out there clearing the tracks with some of the biggest, baddest machines in the snow-moving business,” said Upton, senior manager – Track Maintenance.

The team can back up its pride with an impressive record. “Service on this mountain hasn’t stopped since 2011,” said Upton.

This season alone, they have already moved or cleared 310 inches of wet, heavy snow – otherwise known as “Sierra Cement” – including 138 inches that fell in December.

Upton and his team are one of several snow-fighting teams at Union Pacific who work to keep the

nation’s supply chain moving and America’s shelves stocked during extreme snowstorms in states such as Wyoming, Idaho, Oregon and Minnesota.

The Sierra Snow Fighters are responsible for maintaining 245 track miles *349 km) from Reno to Roseville that goes from sea level in the Sacramento Valley to the 7000-foot summit at Norden, California.

There are more than 700 curves on their section of the track, which goes under the Interstate 80 corridor 23 times.

During a typical winter season, which starts in early November and extends through to April, The Sierra Snow Fighters will see a “dozen decent storms,” if not more, Upton said.

“When Interstates are closing, and trucks are being forced off the road, railroads are able to run thanks to the men and women at Union Pacific who brave the elements and keep our tracks open. Our crews’ commitment and efforts on the ground to keep the lines cleared during extreme weather is a testament to the tenacity of railroaders,” said Jeremy Ritch, general director – Maintenance of Way, Operating.

One of the worst winters in the Sierra Nevada

When Mike Upton spots a news crew from The Weather Channel in Truckee, California, the senior manager for Union Pacific Railroad knows it’s all-hands-to-the-plough time in the Sierra Nevada Mountain range.

'Sierra Snow Fighters'

occurred in 2011, when almost 700 inches or 58 feet of snow fell during the winter season, burying the mountain and halting train movement for six days.

“We learned a thing or two in 2011,” Upton said.

For starters, Union Pacific brought on an “avalanche team” that works to mitigate risk and exposure by deliberately triggering safe, controlled avalanches. “Instead of Mother Nature giving us the snow when she wants too, we now get the snow when we want too, in a planned and safe manner.”

Union Pacific also bought highly specialised snow cats favored by ski resorts, including the PistenBully 600w Polar - a powerhouse that can climb and get the Union Pacific crew where it needs to go on remote sections of the mountain.

The snow cats are great, but the team’s first line of snow-fighting defense is a Flanger, a piece of snow-removal equipment that utilizes “flanger blades” to

clear the snow and ice between the rails. The flanger, which can resemble a caboose, is pulled by specially equipped locomotives.

The team also has nine snow cats – high-powered snow tanks - that they use to navigate through the snow and access remote areas on the mountain. The cats are used for a variety of snow-removal purposes, including pushing the snow away from the side of the track.

“With the amount of snow we have, if we don’t move the snow away from the tracks, we get “bermed in,” with no place to put the snow that accumulates off the tracks,” said Upton.

Another tool in their snow-fighting tool chest is a “spreader,” a specially designed piece of equipment outfitted with a plow in the middle and 16-foot snow blades or “wings” on each side. Spreaders are used to plow through snow and move it away from the tracks.

East Palestine derailment and aftermath

NS 50-car derailment throws up concerns over hazardous cargoes

A NORFOLK Southern (NS) train that derailed on February 3 in Ohio, spilt vinyl chloride in the area and caused citizens to flee and wildlife to die. The derailment occurred at approximately 8:55 PM EST on February 3 2023 in East Palestine, OH. Norfolk Southern reported the incident at 10:53 PM ET to the National Response Centre. At that time, it was reported that an unknown number of the 150 train cars had derailed, but 20 of the cars were listed as carrying hazardous materials. Approximately 50 cars were affected by the derailment with the rest being uncoupled and removed from the scene. Local officials issued evacuation orders for the surrounding area. State health officials were initially concerned about the presence of vinyl chloride, a highly volatile colourless gas produced for commercial uses, which spilled after the derailment while travelling from Illinois to Pennsylvania. Other toxins, like phosgene and hydrogen chloride, were emitted in large plumes of smoke during a post-derailment controlled release and burn, prompting officials to issue mandatory evacuation orders in a one-mile (1.6 km) radius of the crash site.

Among the substances were ethylene glycol monobutyl ether, ethylhexyl acrylate and isobutylene were also in the rail cars that were derailed. Contact with ethylhexyl acrylate, a carcinogen, can cause burning and irritation of the skin and eyes, and inhalation can irritate the nose and throat, causing shortness of breath and coughing, according to the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

Incident update

In an update, NS continued to work with local, state, and fed-

eral leaders and the community affected by the derailment. Additionally, Norfolk Southern updated customers on the status of railroad operations. Both mainlines were restored to service on February 7 – after the Engineering team and contractors worked to quickly clear the site and laydown new infrastructure. NS continued to make progress in two key areas: addressing the backlog of traffic; and getting power and crews back in cycle

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been monitoring the health aspects of the incident continuously.

On the day after the derailment, EPA On-Scene Co-ordinators and contractors conducted fixed and roaming air monitoring and provided technical assistance to the East Palestine Fire Department and other responding agencies.

Measures were taken to sample and mitigate any possible impacts from runoff from the fire to the Sulphur Run and Leslie Run streams. US EPA deployed real-time air monitoring instruments in 12 locations surrounding the fire and in the neighbouring community. In addition, one air sample was collected in downtown East Palestine for laboratory analysis.

In addition to the fixed air monitoring stations, handheld monitors were used to monitor areas of significant odour. Butyl acrylate has a low odour threshold of 0.035 parts per million (ppm), which means people can smell it in the air even at very low levels. In comparison, current screening levels for used on the incident for any VOCs is 0.1 ppm.

US EPA took water samples at the streams and sent them to a laboratory for analysis.

Emergency response staff noticed impacted aquatic life and notified the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and the US Department of Interior.

"Why did it take you 10 days to care?"

IT took US Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg ten days to take to Twitter to send a message about the derailment, much to the ire of his political opponents. Buttigieg initially tweeted: “In the wake of the East Palestine derailment and its impact on hundreds of residents, we’re seeing lots of newfound or renewed (and welcome) interest in our work on rail safety, so I wanted to share more about what we’ve been doing in this area:

“We are making historic investments on rail safety through funding in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, work that accelerates this year and continue in the years to come.

“The infrastructure law created a new program that provides $3 billion dedicated to eliminating at-grade rail crossings to reduce crashes and save lives. We will announce awards for the first round of projects this summer.

“Our priority is to prevent transportation incidents, but when they do occur and hazardous material is involved, we want first responders to be prepared. We recently awarded $32.4 M in grants to strengthen local efforts to respond to hazmat incidents.”

Keyboard warriors pile in No sooner than Buttigieg had sent out his tweet, then keyboard warriors were quick to say what they thought.

‘Drunk News Anchor’ typed: “Well, to be fair to Pete here, he still doesn't care. He just wanted to tweet.”

‘Stephanie Whitmer’ showed her alligence: “Trump would have been to the site. Checked on the families that were miss placed (sic) and made sure they were okay. That’s what we expect from you and Biden. Pretend that you care from ground zero not television.”

‘Real Defender’ added: “Why did it take you 10 days to care? Asking for every single American.”

‘Kimberly Morin’ questioned in capital letters: “How about, instead of tweeting bullsh*t no one cares about, you haul your pathetic arse down there and HELP THOSE PEOPLE.”

‘Lord Brian Urso’ was direct: “Why did it take you 10 days to even make a response to East Palestines (sic) tragedy? You should have BEEN THERE DAY ONE...but no you were elsewhere talking about "racism" and how there are too many WHITE construction workers. You are a disgrace”

A rare positive tweet came from ‘Crystal White’: “I like your posts as they're more reality based than most. Your plans for the future look great & decades over due... but what about the now? What is being done for the ppl of E.Palestine & Ohio & those downriver from this disaster?”

Norfolk Southern establishes $1 million fund

NORFOLK Southern Corporation has created a $1 million charitable fund to be available immediately as one component of its planned support for the community of East Palestine, Ohio. The company will work with state and local leaders.

“We are committed to East Palestine today and in the future,” said Norfolk Southern President and CEO Alan Shaw.

“We will be judged by our actions. We are cleaning up the site in an environmentally responsible way, reimburs-

ing residents affected by the derailment, and working with members of the community to identify what is needed to help East Palestine recover and thrive.”

The contribution will supplement other efforts to support residents, businesses, and first responders,

East Palestine derailment and aftermath

A SAFE OPTION FOR HAZMAT

WHILE hazmat incidents are rare, US railroads know that even one incident can impact a local community dramatically, says the Association of American Railroads (AAR). Railroads take the responsibility of shipping hazmat seriously and are committed to keeping citizens and railroaders safe while continually driving toward an incident-free future. Here is information about freight rail's dedication to hazmat safety.

Takeaways

Freight railroads are a safe option for hazmat. The Associated Press recently reported: "The railroad industry is generally regarded as the safest option for most goods, and federal data show accidents involving hazardous materials are exceedingly rare."

Railroads work with first responders to help families and individuals within an affected community. Railroads provide services for displaced families and maintain a presence in the community for as long as necessary to limit any inconvenience or displacement of community members. Often railroads will establish specific centers to assess and meet the long-term needs of the displaced population. Additionally, railroads have dedicated claims teams to help resolve matters with affected citizens.

Railroads train first responders and developed a mobile app for them. Freight railroads train tens of thousands of first responders each year at local firehouses, online and at the world-class Safety & Emergency Response Training

Center (SERTC) to ensure they know how to respond to a rail incident safely. Railroads also helped develop the AskRail app, which gives first responders immediate information about the type of hazmat a train is carrying, details about that hazmat, emergency railroad contacts and more.

Integrated response teams monitor, mitigate and respond to incidents: Railroads have full-time environmental personnel who work with first responders, state officials, government agencies like PHMSA and FEMA, and environmental agencies to safely manage active rail incidents and mitigate impacts according to their emergency response plans and strict federal regulations. All major railroads have 24/7 emergency response teams that provide local officials with access to information and resources — from response equipment to clothing for displaced families.

Railroads adhere to strict tank car regulations. Railroads follow rigorous design standards for rail cars carrying hazmat and have worked with the FRA to create software that determines the safest and most secure routes for hazmat.

Some statistics

n 99.9% of all hazmat shipments reach their destination without incident.

n Since 2012, the hazmat accident rate has declined by 55%.

n Over the last ten years, less than 1% of all train accidents have resulted in a hazmat release.

Quinn joins Commerce Lexington's board

R. J. CORMAN Railroad Group President and CEO, Ed Quinn, has joined Commerce Lexington Inc.’s Board of Directors.

Commerce Lexington seeks to promote economic development, job creation, and overall business growth in Lexington, Kentucky, and its neighbouring communities while strengthening its existing businesses.

PEJIC NEW MANAGING DIRECTOR OF TX LOGISTIK TRANSALPINE

DEJAN Pejic has taken over management of TX Logistik Transalpine GmbH, the Austrian subsidiary of the TX Logistik AG. The 43 year old follows Gero Sieberger, who will from now on focus on his task as Director Asset Management & Claims Management at TX Logistik. Pejic has several years of experience in rail freight transport, gained in various railway logistics companies.

R. J. CORMAN DIVISIONS FOR A SAFETY-DRIVEN

aside five days during the year’s first quarter to go through the importance of safety and building a safety-driven culture. This year R. J. Corman divisions in more than 20 states received a package with material that included safety topics printouts, company-specific material, safety commitment pledges, and more to be discussed daily. Each day, the teams had a safety stand-down to review the day’s safety topic. The all-company themes ranged from the importance of job briefings, training and compliance, safe vehicle operations, and proactive personal safety attitude to the use of proper PPE. Given the diversity of services offered by the R. J. Corman companies, the divisions also had the opportunity to discuss topics about their specific companies in the form of “5 Critical Safety Points” cards, which employees can keep on hand to access the information throughout the year.

Every team member was invited to incorporate the campaign slogan “I am committed to safety today” into their daily work and sign a safety pledge. This safety pledge is an

R. J. Corman COMMITS

R. J. Corman Railroad Group’s founder Richard J. “Rick” Corman was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma in 2001 after collapsing during a run. After diagnosis, Corman began looking for the best possible treatment, finding the leading centre for treatment at Harvard’s “Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.”

ON Monday, February 6 through Friday, February 10, all 70+ R. J. Corman locations throughout the country reviewed critical safety points for their operations during the company’s ‘Safety Commitment Week.’ ‘Safety Commitment Week’ is a company-wide initiative that started in 2016 by setting

At the Institute, Corman met world-renowned cancer researcher Dr. Paul Richardson, who would become his primary physician during his lengthy battle against cancer.

Corman generously donated funds every year for more research at the institute through the foundation that today bears his name, the “Richard J. Corman

DIVISIONS MOBILIsED SAFETY-DRIVEN CULTURE

annual commitment to safeguarding the well-being of their colleagues and themselves and keeping safety as a priority.

A corresponding article accompanied the daily safety briefings on R. J. Corman’s internal communications platform, ‘The Mainline,’ where employees could also participate in a daily safety quiz and win exciting prizes.

For R. J. Corman Railroad Group, safety is the number one priority and one of its “Big Rocks,” the company’s pillars of corporate culture. “Safe operations and a safety-first mentality will always be our priority. We want everyone to return home safely to their families at the end of the day,” said R. J. Corman Railroad Group President and CEO Ed Quinn. “I want to thank all our team members for actively participating in this initiative and for their safety commitment EVERY DAY.”

COMMITS ONCE AGAIN TO SUPPORT CANCER RESEARCH

Multiple Myeloma Fund.”

After 12 years of battling cancer, on August 23 2013, Corman sadly passed away. It is to honour his legacy of generosity that R. J. Corman Railroad Group is committed to supporting cancer research every year.

As a way of celebrating 50 years of history, and through the generous donations of employees, a gift in honour of the company's friends and customers this past Christmas, and a company donation, R. J. Corman Railroad Group is honoured to donate a combined contribution of $50,000 to the “Richard J. Corman Multiple Myeloma Fund.”

Dr. Richardson (now Clinical Program Leader and

Director of Clinical Research of the Jerome Lipper Multiple Myeloma Centre and R. J. Corman, Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School) and Dr. Constantine S. Mitsiades (Associate Professor in Medicine at Harvard Medical School) joined R. J. Corman Railroad Group President and CEO Ed Quinn on a virtual conference call with the company for an update on the advances in their progressive work on this cancer research.

R. J. Corman Railroad Group is incredibly grateful for this partnership and the opportunity to allow it to support the battle to cure this terrible disease, says the group.

DB Cargo UK invests in new welfare fleet for Breakdown and Recovery teams

DB Cargo UK, one of the leading providers of breakdown and recovery services to the UK rail industry, has taken delivery of a fleet of new welfare vans to improve the effectiveness of its field operations. The new vehicles which will shortly be put into service across England, Scotland and Wales.

The Ford and Iveco vans have been specially-adapted to include onboard toilets, catering and cleaning facilities, enabling DB’s recovery teams to set up base in even the remotest regions of the UK’s rail network.

Every year, the rail logistic company’s breakdown and recovery teams respond to more than 100 incidents – ranging from minor derailments to major accidents - providing a rapid and effective recovery service to keep the UK’s rail network moving.

Its emergency teams operate 24 hours-a-day, 365 days-ayear and are based at Didcot in Oxfordshire, Wigan in Lancashire and Millerhill in Scotland.

The company’s Head of Asset Management and Maintenance Jon Harman said the teams’ work was both physically and mentally demanding and was often undertaken in challenging environments and harsh weather conditions. He said the new welfare vans would go a long way to improving the overall

working environment and wellbeing of his colleagues.

“This is a significant investment we’re making in our breakdown and recovery service which plays a pivotal role when things go wrong on the rail network. The new welfare vehicles provide a safe, dry and warm sanctuary for our colleagues out in the field who are often called to locations where there are little or no on-site facilities,” said Harman.

DB’s Breakdown and Recovery Manager Sean Coulby said some incidents required the teams to be on site for several days, or even weeks and the new welfare facilities would make life a lot easier for his colleagues.

“The tragic passenger train derailment at Stonehaven in Scotland in 2020 and last year’s derailment of a freight train at Petterill Bridge in Cumbria are just two examples of the type of challenging incidents our teams respond to,” said Coulby

“On each of these occasions we were on site for several weeks, leading the recovery effort and directing operations. This can be exhausting and stressful work so we want to do all we can to improve the on-site experience for our frontline colleagues,” he added.

“The new vans are comfortable and practical and we can’t wait to deploy them out into the field.”

RWE, VTG develop logistics concept for ammonia

RWE, a German mult-inational energy company headquartered in Essen. plans to use rail transport for the onward journey of this fuel. To this end, the company is working with the global logistics company VTG to deliver the ammonia by tank wagon to customers in Germany and neighbouring countries. The two companies signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to this effect.

RWE and VTG will jointly develop a logistics concept for supplying customers. This will include exploring delivery routes and determining the necessary filling and transport capacities. Rail transport is advantageous for industrial customers, as no connection to a pipeline or inland port is required. The delivery of ammonia by tank wagon has been an established method for years.

“Green ammonia is key in the energy transition because it can be used to decarbonise many industrial processes. In the future, Germany will import large quantities of ammonia, for example via the terminal planned by RWE in Brunsbüttel. From there, the molecules will be distributed directly to industrial customers. VTG has many years of experience in transporting ammonia by tank wagon. That’s why RWE and VTG are also jointly looking at distribution by rail,” says Ulf Kerstin, CCO of RWE Supply & Trading.

Sven Wellbrock, Chief Operating Officer Europe and Chief Safety Officer of VTG, adds: "In addition to its great importance as a basic material for industry, ammonia will also play an

important role in securing energy supplies in the coming decades. It is part of VTG's New Energies strategy, which aims to provide our customers with the best possible support in the transformation towards sustainable industrial processes. Together with RWE, we want to show that large quantities of ammonia can already be supplied by rail in the short term in a low-emission and competitive manner."

To achieve the climate goals, demand for green molecules will increase strongly in the future. To meet the demands of industrial decarbonisation, Germany will need access to green molecules from other parts of the world in addition to its own hydrogen production. RWE is striving to

develop a globally diversified portfolio of projects and offtake agreements for hydrogen and its derivatives, such as ammonia. In this context, RWE is also planning a green import terminal for ammonia in Brunsbüttel. From 2026, around 300,000 tonnes of green ammonia per year are to be landed here.

Ammonia (NH3) is a compound of hydrogen and nitrogen.

It is considered one of the most widely used basic materials in chemistry. Some 180 million tonnes are produced worldwide each year and processed into fertilisers, plastics and other chemicals, among other things. “Green ammonia” is produced with hydrogen generated by electrolysis using renewable energy.

Prologis signs partnership with social media’s trailblazing trainspotter

PROLOGIS UK, one of the country’s leading owners and operators of logistics property, has unveiled a new partnership with Francis Bourgeois, social media’s most famous trainspotter.

Bourgeois shot to fame for his quirky first-person videos spotting trains on the UK’s rail network. He is now working with Prologis UK to shine a spotlight on the logistics sector.

Logistics is an often-misunderstood sector and Bourgeois and Prologis will be working together to showcase its greatness and the potential it holds. The partnership will focus on how logistics is integral to keeping goods moving around the country, both by road and by rail.

Bourgeois, said: “I’ve always loved trains and railways and enjoy sharing that with people through my videos. From the thrash to the tones, trains bring me so much joy but more importantly, Prologis and I both know how important trains are to almost everything we do, not just travelling.”

As well as celebrating the importance of, and opportunities offered by the logistics sector, Francis’ campaign with Prologis UK will be largely focused on Prologis RFI DIRFT (Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal). Spanning 20 million sq. ft., DIRFT is one of the most important pieces of logistics infrastructure in the country and handles freight 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Bourgeois, continues: “I can’t wait to show people how what they buy in a supermarket or online ends up in their shopping basket or front door. Seeing the size of the warehouses at DIRFT and the number of containers that are constantly being loaded and unloaded onto trains is really impressive.”

The partnership will explore the significant sustainability benefits rail freight offers - producing ten times less particulate matter than road haulage, generates a quarter (24%) of the equivalent road carbon emissions for every tonne moved and each freight train journey removes 76 HGVs from the UK road network.

Paul Weston, Prologis UK Regional Head, said: “We’ve been flying the flag for rail freight in the UK for some time and working with a high-profile advocate is a special opportunity for us. Francis’ passion, joy and enthusiasm is infectious and we hope that it will help show

how important and integral logistics is to the country. We’ve got some exciting things planned.”

The partnership will build on the theme of ‘spreading joy’, something that’s been a key goal of Bourgeois from the start of his social media career.

Bourgeois concluded: “I want to spread joy and make people feel good with everything that I do, whether that’s chasing a rare train, or finding out more about the rail freight industry. I’ll share more about my work with Prologis very soon!”

From left to right: Frederic Delorme, President Fret SNCF, Paul Silou, CEO RDT13, Lilian Leroux, Wabtec Transit President

WABTEC, FRET SNCF AND RDT13 TO EXPAND FREIGHT RAIL IN EUROPE THROUGH THE MONITOR PROJECT

WABTEC Corporation, French national operator Fret SNCF and regional operator RDT13 (Régie des Transports des Bouches du Rhône) have launched the MONITOR Project, the first innovation project of the French Rail Freight of the Future (4F) coalition to accelerate the development of the rail freight industry in Europe.

The MONITOR Project consists of equipping railcars with sensors to monitor and prevent the risks of derailment, untimely brake applications and to reduce train preparation time. Ultimately, it could help reduce maintenance costs and contribute to the European Union's goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.

The MONITOR Project focuses on four key technologies, brought together for the first time: radio communication between cars along the train; brake monitoring; bogie monitoring; and automated brake testing.

This project was funded by the French State as part of France 2030 operated by ADEME, the French agency for ecological transition. It will last three and a half years. The solutions will be developed by Wabtec based on needs established by the Consortium, before being tested in real conditions on the rolling stock of the SNCF and RDT 13. For Wabtec, this project will generate new jobs in France with high added value.

"The MONITOR Project has the potential to transform the development of freight rail in Europe,” said Lilian Leroux, President of Wabtec Global Transit and Freight Europe. “We are de-

lighted to bring our experience of innovative railway technologies to develop fully digitalized freight train operations. By developing the attractiveness of rail in Europe, we will contribute to the European Union's goals of doubling the modal share of rail to 30% by 2030, helping to reduce CO2 emissions."

"The digitalisation of freight represents a major opportunity for rail operators in terms of operating safety, productivity, attractiveness of our professions and improvement of working conditions, said Frédéric Delorme, president of Rail Logistics Europe at SNCF. “Fret SNCF is playing a major role in the MONITOR Project, an essential brick in preparing the autonomous freight train of tomorrow, by sharing its expertise and feedback on freight train operations, and by testing new solutions in real conditions on board its locomotives and the wagons it operates."

"Rail freight uses six times less energy, emits eight times less pollution and nine times less carbon than a comparable journey by road, said Paul Sillou, CEO of RTD 13. ” We are proud to contribute to this innovative project that will bring major benefits to French and European rail."

MONITOR is the latest in a series of freight innovation projects involving Wabtec in Europe. The company is also a founding member of Europe's Rail Joint Undertaking (ERJU), a major project aimed at developing fully digitalized, interoperable, high-capacity, sustainable rail freight operations.

KEEP THE DATE: Railway industry calendar of events

21-23 February Rome, Italy International Railway Summit

23 February London, UK Rail Business Awards

28 Feb-2 March São Paulo, Brazil NT Expo São Paulo

03 March London, UK Golden Whistle Awards

08 March Glasgow, UK Rail in Scotland

28-30 March Lille France SIFER13th International Exhibition of Railway Technology

09-11 May Birmingham, UK Railtex

09-11 May London, UK Railtex

23 May London, UK Railway Innovation Awards

31 May-1 June Bangkok, Thailand Asia Pacific Rail

03-05 October Milan, Italy Expo Ferroviaria

If you would like your event listed here free of charge, just send details to freighttracks@gmail.com

If you have any stunning photos of freight trains you might like to see on the cover, send them to freighttracks@gmail.com

Publisher & Editor: James Graham editor@freight-tracks.com

Editorial support: Kim Smith

Designer: Alex Brown freighttracks@gmail.com

Sales Manager: Martin Kingswell

Sales Executive: Peter Dolan

Webmaster: Natasha Antony

Contributors: Neil Madden, Chris Lewis, Stuart Flitton, Johnathan Webb. Will Huskisson

All rights reserved, No part of this magazine may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the copyright owner. Multiple copying of the contents of the magazine without prior written consent is forbidden. Material sent to the editor, whether commissioned or freely submitted, is provided at the contributor’s own risk. Freight Tracks cannot be held responsible for loss of damage however cause. The opinions and views expressed by authors and contributors within Freight Tracks are not necessarily those of the editor or Freight Tracks. We are unable to guarantee the bona ideas of any advertisers.

Copyright: 1435 Media London 2023