Freight Tracks issue #4

FREIGHT TRACKS

MARCH 28 2022

#4

DB Cargo UK trials Lineas introduces first energy surcharge THE FREIGHT TRACKS PROFILE

Green Loan for MFD Rail

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CONTENTS FEATURES

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MARCH 28 2022

THE FREIGHT TRACKS PROFILE: Peter LeCody

Safety First Mastering dangerous goods transport DB Cargo BTT makes sure dangerous goods reach their destination quickly and safely.

Pop-Up Container Yards Delivering supply chain relief Georgia Ports Authority finds congestion solution with intermodal sites hundreds of miles from shore

High Cube / Hi Cube Boxcars Moving high volume low weight cargo High cube or hi-cube boxcars still have a role to play in moving products

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NEWS

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headline news Bright idea sparks terminal power Lineas introduces energy surcharge Norfolk Southern carbon calculator News Review CargoBeamer new rail connection Excellence thanks Saskatchewan Creating a state aid regime

REGULARS

25 People on the Move Scale Rail Freight 53 Small MI-JACK boxes clever of the Line: Did the railroad 54 End invent the iceberg lettuce?

BREAKING: Finnish operator VR Transpoint has suspended rail freight traffic from Russia until further notice due to sanctions. It has suspended the traffic of freight wagons from Russia as of 12 noon on Sunday March 27 2022. “The continuation of freight traffic between Russia and Finland is no longer possible because of the sanctions imposed on Russian Railways (RZD).VR Group is obliged to comply with the sanctions imposed by the Western countries,” says Martti Koskinen, svp,VR Transpoint.

Cover photo: The KfW IPEX-Bank is the mandated lead arranger, underwriter and bookrunner of large-volume growth financing for the Swiss freight car rental company MFD Rail.

Publisher & Editor: James Graham

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

Sales Manager: Martin Kingswell Sales Executive: Peter Dolan

editor@freight-tracks.com

Editorial support: Kim Smith Designer: Alex Brown freighttracks@gmail.com

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 2022 1435 Media London 259 Sydenham Road Croydon CR0 2ET United Kingdom

Press releases: editor@freight-tracks.com www.freight-tracks.com March 28 2022 n 3

THE FREIGHT TRACKS PROFILE

Peter LeCody

A DIAMOND IN RAIL FREIGHT “Transportation funding must show a Fair Share for Rail” www.freight-tracks.com March 28 2022 n 5

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THE FREIGHT TRACKS PROFILE

he Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which provides $66 billion for US rail, will dominate the 18th Annual Southwestern Rail Conference in Texas this weekend. The conference is being organised by Texas Rail Advocates, whose President is Peter LeCody, a

highly successful businessman who says he got Peter’s involvement in rail was sparked by his involved with railroading by proxy. two fathers-in-law, one of whom was a Signal Peter says the IIJA, or Bipartisan Infrastruc- Maintainer for the Grand Trunk Western and the ture Bill, signed into law by President Biden last second was Freight Sales Manager for the LouNovember, will certainly help with freight and isville & Nashville Railroad. He is also a keen rail passenger rail projuser, having travelled ects but is just the tip extensively on trains of the infrastructure through the US, Caniceberg. ada, the UK and Eu“Our country lacks rope. a long-term vision plan, complete with Columbia College funding and support alumnus mechanisms, for how Unlike his fatherswe want to move in-law, Peter has no goods and people in professional railways all modes. experience, having “We continue to majored in Radio-TV use the “Band-Aid” Journalism at Columapproach for the bia College, Chicago, patient, somewhat and worked in radio patching up the inin the 1970s before frastructure we almoving into marketready invested in and ing and merchanthrowing dollars into dising with several the mix only when high-profile jewellery there is a crisis.” businesses.

Before he was When the recesTRA President, Peter Peter on board the cross-county VIA Rail Casion hit in the midserved on the Texas nadian in the Rockies, during his yearly outing 1980s, he saw that Department of Trans- with The Moonlighters there was a gap in portation Rail Division the market for busiSteering Committee and the Texas Transportation Commission’s Inter- nesses that focused on jewellery and watch repair, rather than sales. state-35 Corridor Advisory Committee.

“I knew I wanted to be my own boss, but I He was also chairman of the Rail Passengers Association, based in Washington DC, and re- didn’t want to create a new business, and it was this realisation that led me to start exploring ceived the Amtrak Champion of the Rails Award.

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THE FREIGHT TRACKS PROFILE franchise opportunities. I wanted to own a franchise with a proven model, one that was service focused and also impervious, at least as much as possible, to swings in the economy.

“I had explored some opportunities and already ruled out several franchise businesses in the food, fashion and jewellery markets. Then, one day I saw an advert in a trade magazine for a Fast-Fix Jewelry and Watch Repairs franchise.”

The fact that Peter had no formal training in jewellery and watch repair didn’t hold him back.

“That is one of the selling points of this franchise; you don’t need experience in repair work to be successful. I brought to the table my knowledge and experience in sales, training people and marketing. The model trained me in just about everything else I needed to know to open the business.”

He opened his first kiosk in Texas in September 1987, just before another stock market fall.

Peter braced himself for a knock but the business was an instant success with a positive cash flow after about 60 days.

One of the keys to the success of Fastfix says Peter is that it allows customers to have their jewellery and watches repaired while they go shopping, rather than having to part with items of great sentimental or monetary value for days or weeks.

He gives credit for his success to his wife who he calls his “biggest supporter, encourager and partner”.

When he told her of his plan to open the first store, “she not only encouraged me to go for it, she was also extremely understanding and supportive of the amount of time I would have to put into getting the business running.” While he was working long hours, seven days a week, she was busy with her own job and looking after their two sons.

Peter is currently focussed on preparations for the Southwestern Rail Conference at the DoubleTree by Hilton at Campbell Centre in Dallas on the evening of Thursday March 31 and all day Friday April 1.

It will include a freight rail panel Q&A with members of the Texas Railroad Association, with representatives of Union Pacific Railroad, BNSF Railway and the Texas Short Line and Regional Railroad Association.

Challenges on the horizon

Peter says one of the main challenges facing US railroads is re-regulating the industry back to the pre-Staggers Act era.

The Staggers Rail Act was signed into law by another Democrat President, Jimmy Carter, in 1980, and greatly deregulated the railroad industry.

It was sponsored

by Harley Staggers, a West Virginia congressman who was chairman of the House Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce and a strong supporter of the railroad industry and its workers.

The Staggers Rail Act was intended to replace the highly-regulated structure of rail freight that had existed since the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887, not long after trains were prone to attack from Jesse James and his gang and bands of whooping Apaches, at least according to lurid Westerns of the 1950s and ’60s.

In the 21st century, the US railways are under attack from the flaming arrows of increasing regulation and mighty road freight, which threatens to do for trains what over-exuberant hunting did for the bison.

“The unintended consequences of building a national interstate highway network and seeing 4

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THE FREIGHT TRACKS PROFILE

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THE FREIGHT TRACKS PROFILE the resulting explosion of truck traffic put many railroads in a downward spiral from the 1950s onward,” Peter says.

“We would not have a robust rail industry today if not for the Staggers Rail Act that reduced, and in some cases eliminated, federal regulations that were choking the lifeblood of railroads.

“Lately, though, it seems that regulators seem to want to dial back to the pre-Staggers days, which in my opinion would be a damaging step backwards.

“The Staggers Act has resulted in a rail renaissance over the past 40 years and has made the US a much stronger economic force in the movement of goods by rail.”

Peter is particularly worried about the possible imposition of Reciprocal Switching by the Surface Transportation Board, which held a public hearing into the matter on March 15 and 16.

The idea is to create two-railroad competition at facilities served by only one railroad.

“Telling railroads they must accept competitors to use their mainline tracks, yards and facilities strikes an odd chord,” Peter says.

“How many competitors want access to lines each day and for how long? How much track time is even available to accommodate other railroads? Does this mean that additional infrastructure improvements will be needed and will competitors chip in to pay for them?

“If the STB rules in favour of Reciprocal Switching it might slow down rail operations which, in turn, may harm shippers.”

Generational shift

Peter says there are several ways the industry can overcome its challenges and take advantage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill that “signals a generational shift from the public that lawmakers are now starting to understand in how we view moving goods and people from this point forward.”

He adds that this change in the public mood is exemplified in the hashtag #NotMoreLanesMoreTrains, which refers to freight as well as passenger rail.

“Federal and state authorities need to understand that you can’t widen and build more and

more roads forever. You have to utilise all modes of transportation to their fullest potential and that means not saddling railroads with unnecessary regulation.”

He also believes that technological innovations can be the railways’ friend, citing Positive Train Control, a system that can slow or stop locomotives to prevent accidents in the event of human error.

“It can not only help prevent train-to-train collisions but when efficiently used, could lead to increased network capacity, moving more trains on the same track, to more places sooner.

“Advanced technology and automation will be the drivers of the future that could allow quicker delivery of a customer’s railcar, even on what some railroads consider shorter hauls of 250-500 miles.

“Without a doubt, trucks now own this market share because some railroads have not yet figured out how to efficiently tap into it. Let’s see if technology changes this dynamic.”

Peter believes the rail industry should do more to lobby for greater funding.

“US freight railroads have a fear of government encroachment into their business, which is not entirely unwarranted.

“Unless the railroads admit out loud there is not a level playing field with other modes receiving the bulk of government largess, especially showered on the trucking industry and highways, we will continue to see the rail industry play catch-up.

“Transportation funding must show a Fair Share for Rail, either in direct or indirect support and that includes breaks on taxing of rail infrastructure.”

Infectious enthusiasm

Peter may not have been from a railroad family but his infectious enthusiasm for all things railroad is palpable.

Peter is keen to ensure the railroads of Lone Star state remains a sparkling diamond in the US railway network.

Stuart Flitton

www.freight-tracks.com March 28 2022 n 9

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headline news

Green Loan for MFD Rail: KfW IPEX

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he KfW IPEX-Bank is the mandated lead arranger, underwriter and bookrunner of large-volume growth financing for the Swiss freight car rental company MFD Rail. The funds will be used to finance up to 6,500 new intermodal railcars, which the company specialises in leasing as a European platform.

The use of intermodal freight cars makes it possible to link different modes of transport to rail transport, making the flow of goods more economical and, above all, more environmentally friendly.

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MFD Rail is 98% owned by funds managed by Oaktree Capital Management, a global US investment firm, and 2% by its managing partners. For financing totalling €400 million, ABN AMRO Bank NV, Crédit Agricole Corporate & Investment Bank, ING Bank (a branch of ING-Diba AG), La Banque Postale and Siemens Bank GmbH were gained as further banking partners and are participating in the financing by syndication with more than €300 million.

The loan agreement is structured as a Green Loan issued by KfW IPEX-Bank and certified accordingly. Together with

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the previous financing of €100 million from 2020, the total volume financed now stands at €500 million.

“Together with our partners, we are supporting the shift of freight transport to rail and the transition to a climate-friendly transport infrastructure,” said Andreas Ufer, Member of the Management Board of KfW IPEX-Bank. “We have been supporting MFD Rail from the very beginning and are delighted that we can also play a leading role in this large-volume financing. This flagship project underscores our commitment to arranging large and complex

headline news

X-Bank financing new freight cars

growth of this important ESG-centric investment. At the same time, we are making good progress with regard to digitalisation; our freight cars are also prepared for the upcoming strategic changeover to automatic coupling”.

MFD Rail

financing structures in the European rail market. We are particularly pleased to have structured the financing as a ‘Green Loan made by KfW IPEX-Bank’”.

Markus Basler, Managing Partner and CFO of MFD Rail said: “We are very proud to have taken the next very important step for MFD Rail with this transaction to become one of the leading companies for the leasing of intermodal freight cars in Europe.

“By signing the new Green Loan financing, we are supporting and securing part of MFD Rail’s growth strategy of over 10,000 new intermodal freight

cars over the next few years. Thanks to their positive impact on reducing carbon emissions, we are supporting the transformation of the economy and transport on the way to net zero and offering our customers added value through our sustainable service as fleet manager of a modern and highly efficient intermodal freight car fleet.”

Hermann T. Dambach, Managing Director of Oaktree GmbH, said: “We are very pleased with the success that MFD Rail has achieved in the market so far.

With the support of our long-term partner banks, we can secure the continued

The MFD Rail Group, based in Rotkreuz, Switzerland, is a provider in the leasing and management of freight cars for European rail transport.

As a team of experienced intermodal specialists, it leases out a modern and highly available fleet of new, high-quality and noise-reduced intermodal railcars for combined transport. It is considered one of the best-capitalised and most sustainable scale-ups in the industry with the goal of becoming a leading lessor in the intermodal segment.

As a provider established throughout Europe and a preferred alternative on the lease market, MFD Rail reduces dependencies on today’s service providers and diversifies its customers’ fleets.

Partner-based solutions bring transparency and flexibility to leasing and maintenance concepts.

Comprehensive digital operating data, transparency in leasing costs, no hidden margins and flexibility options are building blocks for customer-focused services. With its standardised fleet, automated processes and highly scalable organisation, it achieves competitive prices.

MFD Rail actively supports the modal shift from road to rail. It considers its contribution to reducing greenhouse gases and to the transition to carbon-free transport to be the focus of its environmental commitment. Certified

by Sustainalytics, it is also committed to managing its growth in an environmentally-conscious, energy-efficient and climate-neutral manner and financing it via green loans..

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headline news

Bright idea spark for rail freight t

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simple question that has cursed yard managers for years has been solved by the simplest of ideas. An innovative overhead electrification system can answer the simple but deadly question: how do you use a grab lift in a terminal with fixed overhead power wires.

The Decarbonisation & Electrification of Freight Terminals (DEFT) project, funded by the Department for Transport and Innovate UK, has seen project partners Furrer+Frey GB, Tarmac and GB Railfreight demonstrates a new simple method that would allow aggregate loading in yards where trains can be powered by electric locomotives. In fact, any loading that requires lifting, such as intermodal containers, that cannot be done under existing fixed wires, can now be achieved.

Promoters also suggest that a secondary benefit from the technology is the end for diesel on electrified rail routes and boost the industry’s net zero ambitions.

Freight trains are typically loaded and unloaded from above, preventing the use of the high voltage overhead cables used on mainline railways. As such, they still rely on diesel to move in and out of terminals and passengers can be held up by slower diesel freight trains on mainlines, or those waiting to be moved into a depot by a shunter.

Turning off the diesel

DEFT was staged at a rail freight terminal in Northamptonshire, in the English Midlands, Engineers from Furrer+Frey GB designed a Moveable Overhead Conductor system where overhead equipment supplying electricity to the locomotives

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can safely move away once the train is in place and return when the train needs to move again.

Furrer+Frey’s innovative system is being trialled at an aggregate facility – run by one of world’s leading construction materials businesses, Tarmac – in Wellingborough, in partnership with GB Railfreight.

The facility is adjacent to the Midland Mainline, which is currently being electrified and upgraded by Network Rail as part of the Government’s Integrated Rail Plan, to increase capacity for

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passengers and freight trains.

If successful, the moveable overhead system could go on to be deployed at other freight terminals across the UK and support the full decarbonisation of Britain’s railways.

Leap forward

Noel Dolphin, Head of UK projects at Furrer+Frey GB, said: “The electrification of freight terminals is the biggest technological hurdle to net zero rail freight and we have just overcome it.

headline news

ks OVERHEAD power terminals The demonstration required a diesel loco to bring the hoppers to DEFT

Chris Swan, head of rail at Tarmac, said: “Decarbonising transport has been highlighted as one of the key areas in which we can help achieve net zero across the construction industry.

“Supporting this exciting project is just the latest step in the ongoing development of our rail freight capabilities, which forms part of Tarmac’s wider commitment to reducing CO2 across the whole business.

“We’re always keen to explore new initiatives and innovations that can help us move materials to the right place at the right time more efficiently and sustainably.”

Greener alternative

The demonstrator shows how we can plug freight yards into electrified rail lines and operate them safely and efficiently with the locomotives we already have – meaning greener, cleaner and better journeys.

“This moveable conductor system means trains pull in on electricity, disconnect from it to safely load and unload, then reconnect to travel on.

“I’m proud of our team and partners for getting us to this milestone moment today showing a greener future for the industry.”

John Smith, CEO GB Railfreight, said: “Rail freight is already a greener alternative to moving goods by road but innovations like the Moveable Overhead Conductor System, and electrification more broadly, will allow us to go even further.

“At the same time as combatting climate change, they also bolster operations, and the reliability and efficiency of rail freight.

“We continue to work with the UK government to fulfil our industry’s potential and this is a great example of what can be achieved when the industry and government work together effectively.”

Seamless electrification for freight could begin to see slower, more polluting diesel trains being phased out. In 2018 the UK government challenged the rail industry to remove all diesel-only trains from the network by 2040 as part of a drive to achieving the UK’s ambitious net zero goals, as well as to help improve air quality and reduce noise pollution.

The system being trialled in Northamptonshire is based on one de-

veloped by Furrer+Frey for passenger train depots, used by Eurostar and LNER, and has been installed by SPL Powerlines.

The DEFT project is one of 30 groundbreaking initiatives that have won a share of £9 million from the Department for Transport, in partnership with Innovate UK. The competition is focused on devel-

How does it work?

A freight train arrives in the yard powered by an electric locomotive and travels under the moveable overhead system.

The pantograph is dropped. The overhead bar is then retracted to the poles. It is isolated.

The wagons can then be loaded/ unloaded safely.

After the yard activity is completed, the arm is moved back over the rail line. The power is reconnected when the bar makes contact with the running line.

The locomotive pantograph is extended and the locomotive is energised.

oping pioneering technology and exceptional ideas that can improve journeys for travellers, encourage passengers back onto the network and reduce the environmental impacts of rail as the country builds back better from Covid-19.

The DEFT concept was endorsed by members of the Rail Forum Midlands in 2020 as a viable method to decarbonise UK rail freight, leading to the successful funding bid to InnovateUK and the Department for Transport.

Tarmac is among the largest users of rail freight, transporting construction materials by rail UK-wide as part of the business’ ongoing sustainability commitments.

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headline news

NORFOLK SOUTHERN’S INDUSTRY-LEADING CARBON CALCULATOR LAUNCHED Online tool helps customers accurately factor in the emissions impact of shipping decisions

UNITED STATES Norfolk Southern Corporation has launched a next generation carbon calculator to support customer efforts to account, measure and mitigate carbon emissions in their supply chain decisions. Rail is the most efficient way to transport freight across the landscape. Every day, Norfolk Southern helps to deliver the low carbon economy.

According to the most recent CDP report, for the average company, supply chain emissions are 11.4 times higher than operational emissions.

With a sample size of over seven million shipments, the online calculator is built on an algorithm that produces results based on actual data to strengthen and improve efficiency estimates, giving customers the ability to include emissions into their transportation decisions.

Norfolk Southern was first in the rail industry to create a carbon calculator in 2008. In an industry-leading approach, this new calculator improves the accuracy of carbon estimates by capturing the entire cycle of fuel usage. Direct fuel consumption from locomotives is applied to every rail car based on weight and distance travelled. Additional fuel

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accounted for includes yard and local operations, equipment repositioning, and fuel expended while handling containers in intermodal operations.

The innovative process generates a rail fuel efficiency factor for 18 rail car types and 30 commodities plus intermodal.

“Technology is the fuel accelerating Norfolk Southern’s digital transformation,” said Josh Raglin, Chief Sustainability Officer for Norfolk Southern. “More than 25% of our customers have set public targets for emission reductions, and our new calculator provides a level of assurance that customers need to both measure and manage supply chain emissions.

This tool provides our current and future customers with the data to understand the sustainable advantages of shipping via rail,” Raglin added.

Next generation

This next generation calculator was designed with the entire transportation industry in mind. Norfolk Southern worked with logistic partners to ensure

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the calculations drawn between shipping via truck and rail sectors were accurate. With 57% of all freight considered flexible freight, this calculator focuses on incorporating carbon into the decision framework of shippers to encourage the shipper to choose the most efficient and least carbon intensive mode of transportation.

Users enter the type of commodity they want to transport, shipment weight and frequency, and then choose from over 75,000 origins and destinations in the US. The calculator provides data on estimated and avoided emissions, carbon dollars saved, highway miles avoided, trucks and cars taken off the road, and other carbon equivalents.

“Rail is one of the most sustainable transportation solutions,” said Ed Elkins, Chief Marketing Officer for Norfolk Southern. “Railroads move 45% of the country’s long-distance freight but produce only 7% of all freight-related emissions. The second-generation carbon calculator is an innovative tool that illustrates the effectiveness of rail to help customers reach their own sustainability goals.”

headline news

Lineas introduces first energy costs surcharge

UNITED STATES Lineas, the largest private rail freight operator in Europe, will apply a dynamic energy surcharge to all its transports as of April 1 2022 to compensate for soaring energy prices. While such a surcharge is common practice for other modes of transportation, Lineas is the first rail company to implement this measure and anticipates that other players in the market will follow suit.

Energy prices are currently skyrocketing, impacted by the war in Ukraine and concerns about possible supply shortages. At EEX, Europe’s leading energy market, the spot price per Megawatt hour has more than tripled compared to average prices in 2021. Also diesel, which railway undertakings need where electric locomotives cannot operate, has become significantly more expensive.

This economic hardship has reached a level that cannot be absorbed by Lineas anymore. In order to ensure a sustainable rail freight offer, the company is required to pass energy costs on to its customers.

Lars Redeligx, Chief Commercial Officer at Lineas: “Everybody sees how energy prices are soaring when driving

to the gas station. Rail companies are suffering massively, too. We cannot continue to be the only mode of transportation that doesn’t pass on the rising energy costs. This is surely true for privately owned businesses like us, but even for state-owned competitors, the solution cannot be that the taxpayer has to cover their rising energy bill. Therefore Lineas will apply a dynamic energy surcharge to be able to offer sustainable rail transport solutions.”

Lineas plans to implement the dynamic energy surcharge and is currently in contact with its customers to do so.

The surcharge is designed to absorb Lineas’ rising energy cost and takes into account hedging mechanisms that limit the company’s cost increase.

It is applied on top of transport revenues and will be adapted on a monthly basis, following the development of energy prices and taking into account possible energy compensations by national authorities. It will be published on the company’s website. The surcharge differs between domestic and international transports to account for differences in how energy is charged to railway under-

takings in different markets. At the current spot price of €300 per Megawatt hour, the surcharge will range between 3,5% (Netherlands) and 8,1% (Germany).

First dynamic energy surcharge

Energy surcharges are common within the transport industry, such as diesel surcharges for road transportation or the fuel surcharge in air cargo. Rail operators traditionally have catered for energy costs as part of yearly contract negotiations. In the current market environment, with soaring energy prices, these calculations are not viable anymore for Lineas.

“The introduction of an energy surcharge is long overdue in the rail industry. We are the greenest transport mode emitting 90% less CO2 compared to road transport and use six times less energy than the truck. Yet, we are not immune to the explosion of energy costs. If we want to secure our societal mission and be able to continue serving our customers, we have to adopt an energy surcharge as is the practice in other sectors,” Redeligx concludes.

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headline news

DB Cargo UK successfully tria

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headline news

ls the use of ‘combi-consists’

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B Cargo UK is trialling the use of ‘combi-consists’ to increase capacity, improve customer service and improve its efficiency.

The UK’s largest rail freight operator ran a unique jumbo train from Belmont Yard in Doncaster to Barking, East London, carrying a mix of wagons for two altogether different types of customers.

The train consisted of two sets of empty wagons – 21 x MBA wagons for Ward Recycling and 18 x JNA wagons for FCC Environment – with an isolated DIT (dead-in-train) locomotive – in the middle.

The MBA wagons had previously been discharged at Immingham in North Lincolnshire and the JNA wagons discharged at FCC Environment’s new waste transfer facility at Tinsley in South Yorkshire.

Both sets of wagons were then taken to DB Cargo UK’s Belmont Yard depot in Doncaster where the jumbo train was assembled.

The train travelled from Belmont Yard to Barking via Lincoln Central, Spalding, the East Coast Mainline, Hertford North and Canonbury Tunnel.

DB Cargo UK Chief Sales Officer Roger Neary said DB was delighted with the results of the trial, which had numerous benefits for both the rail freight company and its customers.

“Combining two customers’ services into one train allowed us to reduce the required number of traincrew, freeing up resources to use on other services. It also enabled us to significantly reduce our fuel consumption, making the train not only leaner but greener too.”

“We had to obtain special permission to run the service with a locomotive in the middle dead-in-train but this reduced the need for complicated shunting at both ends of the journey.

“It enabled us to hook FCC Environment’s wagons on to the back of Ward’s wagons without having to remove the locomotive and run it round. It’s much more efficient in terms of yard management,” he added.

Neary said that the initiative would drive greater reliability on a rail corridor that has recently seen very strong growth, with new services from the ports of Felixstowe and London Gateway for Maritime and new services for FCC Environment from DB Cargo UK’s London aggregates terminals to two new terminals located at Tinsley and Peterborough.

DB now intends to take the trial one step further by proving the concept on a greater portion of the East Coast Mainline and Midland Mainline, further improving the service.

“At DB cargo UK we are continually looking at ways to challenge the norm and further improve the reliability and efficiency of our services and this is a great example of innovation in train-planning,” said Neary.

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headline news

RAILCAR MAINTENANCE – THE MYSTICAL MAINTENANCE INVOICE! I

Darell J Luther, CEO and founder of Tealinc, Ltd

magine spending thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars per month to lease or hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars in one foul swoop to buy a group of rail assets. Now imagine the only control you have over those rail assets is to issue billing instructions for where those rail assets should go when loaded or where to go to load and when they arrive at destination loading or unloading them. Once you’ve waybilled the railcars, it’s up to the railroad to transport them to the billed destination and/or to your customer and to return them to the origin, last loading location or to another point designated by you. Once the rail assets are accepted by the railroad, care of those railcars is now in the hands of the railroads. The railroads job is to move the railcars loaded with product quickly and consistently from an origin loading location to the customer who takes possession of the railcars and unloads them. Once unloaded, the railroad(s) will move the railcars back empty to the loading location.

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Safety first, maintenance first!

Mechanically, the railroads are required to do what is called a one-thousandmile inspection and an interchange inspection when the railcar interchanges from one railroad to another as mandated by the Federal Railway Administration. A typical one-thousand-mile inspection generally consists of a roll by of the train with a rail mechanical person observing on each side of the train looking for safety defects (hand holds and ladders), mechanical defects (wheels, bearings, couplers, train line, brake system) and any other non-conforming item that would negate safe operation of the train. Note, sometimes the carmen walk or ride All Terrain Vehicle’s (ATV) by the train as it sets in the railyard in lieu of a roll-by depending on the operations of that particular rail yard.

Maintenance rules

Per the American Association of Railroads (AAR) Rule 1, a Class I railroad

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inspects safety appliances such as grab holds, steps, crossover platforms and the Class I also checks that all brakes are applied and operative, brake rigging is properly secured and does not bind or foul and there is proper air flow as required by FRA rules. If a mechanical inspector (carman) does the inspection they are trained to look for more further detailsL for example wheel flange requirements, air piston travel requirements, and so on. That are a lot more in depth than what a crewman is trained to look for. More details on these inspection rules can be identified and reviewed in the AAR Field Manual but for all intents and purposes of this article, this is a good understanding to have.

Defect found, now what?

When any defects are discovered, the culprit empty or loaded railcar is either repaired in train if it’s a minor defect or taken out of the train and sent to a Repair In Place (RIP) track or sent to a railcar repair shop if it requires more

headline news Railcare

time to fix the defect than the current train schedule allows. The concern as a railcar owner or lessee even under a full service lease? This process requires no consultation of the responsible party for the maintenance bill unless the work is in excess of 85 man-hours. Although it may seem unfair to a railcar owner or lessee, the process is actually very important and is most effective for most all. The system is designed to allow the railroad to make minor repairs to ensure safety and/ or repairs that have specific efficient work processes against them (for example wheel change out) that are easily completed by the railroad to negate impacting safety and train and railcar velocity. For example, if a railcar is inspected on a roll-by and a handhold is found to be out of compliance, the mechanic(s) on duty can torch it off and replace it with a new hand-hold while the railcar is in train. The decision on whether to repair the railcar in train, send it to the RIP or send it to a homeshop designated repair agent is entirely up to the railroad handling the railcar.

The exception is the railcar repair items that are Federal Railway Administration (FRA) governed these must be repaired before moving the railcar. FRA items govern the safe operations of the railcar. Items governed by the Association of American Railroads (AAR) generally have more restrictive tolerances than FRA allowing railroads a degree of latitude on performing immediate repair to the railcar or sending it to a railcar shop.

The rule here is that railroads must be in compliance with FRA rules but are self-governed through AAR rules granting them a degree of flexibility.

Railroads vacillate their focus on how deep they typically go in maintaining railcars. We’ve seen corridors where almost every railcar on every train that runs through a particular yard gets a focused inspection and railcars will incur several railroad repair items every time they run by that yard. On the flip side, we’ve seen other corridors that have dedicated consistent railcar traffic with so few inspections that it seems to be detrimental to the safe operations of the train and railcars. Something for you to understand and keep in mind, when railroads have maintenance income dollars as a Key Performance Indicator (KPI), you can rest assured that your railcar maintenance costs will go up.

Identifying a problem

Outside of manual inspection, railroads have a few ways to determine if a railcar has defects using artificial intelligence or smart sensors. The trend has been to move towards these smart-sensor driven methods to reduce labor costs and improve safety of railcar operations.

Two primary sensors are Wheel Impact Load Detectors and Truck Hunting Detectors. Wheel Impact Load Detectors (WILD) help detect wheel defects and the Truck Hunting Detectors (THD) look for movement & force discrepancies of the trucks on the rail surface.

One part of the billing process that sometimes confuses railcar lessees (even under full service) and railcar owners is that the metric for invoicing

is time driven and not cost driven. One item may cost you $35 to repair or replace while another item such as wheels can range from $1000 to $2000 per wheelset. Remember, this is all completed within the 85-man hour limit not requiring any input or approval by the railcar mark owner. For many, we know this is a difficult concept to envision. That is why effective railcar equipment health management processes are critical and can reduce this exposure and potentially lower maintenance costs. Furthermore, an effective preventative maintenance program can drastically reduce your railcar time out of service and ensure your railcars stay in service when and where you need them.

How can you take control?

When our customers are introduced to railcar maintenance for the first time or they’re frustrated by the exposure they still had with a railcar fleet under a “full service lease” where certain parts of the railcars (gates, doors, hatches, body damage, loader/unloader damage, etc.) weren’t taken care of by the lessor, we try to take the shock out of the system.

We explain the railroad process of repairing railcars and what is controllable, what you can influence and what is outside of your control. The first step to reducing repair costs is to commit to a repair data gathering system; train, hire or outsource interpretation of this data to a professional; and develop a preventative and proactive maintenance plan and then put it into effect. If you are running railcars in service, you will get maintenance bills. It’s up to you if you let them happen to you unchecked or you can influence them through proactive management and furthermore preventative maintenance. Tealinc experience has been positive as we’ve effectively reduced what seems to be the industry standard of $100 – $150 per railcar per month in AAR / FRA maintenance invoices down between a low of $36.22 to a high of $89.23 per railcar per month.

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headline news

IMPORTANT LEAP FORWARD

L

ast weekend, a major step forward in rail safety was taken. In just two days, no less than 65 km of track in the province of Antwerp was put in service with the European safety system ETCS (European Train Control System). This automatic system controls the speed of trains.

This greatly reduces the likelihood of a train passing through a red signal.

More specifically, these works were carried out on the railway line between Kapellen and the Dutch border and an important freight railway in the port of Antwerp.

Both lines are part of three European core network corridors that run through Belgium and must be equipped with the safety system as a priority. By the end of 2025, infrastructure developer Infrabel plans to equip its entire rail network with ETCS. The Belgian

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railway will then be one of the safest in Europe.

One of the safest

Infrabel is continuously working on the safety of its rail network. The weekend of March 19 and 20 was, in terms of the European safety system ETCS, one of the most important weekends of the year. In just two days, an enormous step forward was taken to further improve the safety of the Belgian railways. Experts from the infrastructure manager have equipped two important railway lines in the province of Antwerp with the European safety system ETCS. Part of the work was carried out on the railway line between Kapellen and Essen (L12). Europe has provided co-financing of up to €0.66 million, in addition to the amounts already made available by the

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federal government for this purpose.

The other part to be equipped with the automatic safety system involved a major freight railway in the port of Antwerp (L11). All in all, this equated to about 65 km of track with ETCS. That brings the total to 40% of Belgium’s main tracks, around 2536 km of track, that is now equipped with ETCS.

Cross-border rail safety

Railway line 12 is an important line for both passenger and freight trains between Antwerp and the Dutch border. The line between Antwerp and Kapellen had already been equipped with ETCS. Now, the stretch between Kapellen and Essen has been added. In total, ETCS was put in service on 41 km of track last weekend. This means that the L12 is now fully equipped with the

headline news

D FOR BELGIAN RAIL SAFETY European safety system. Now that this line is fully equipped with ETCS, safety had improved even more. The automatic safety system monitors the speed of trains (if they also have ETCS onboard).

When a train travels faster than allowed, an emergency brake is automatically applied. The risk of a train passing through a red signal has therefore been virtually ruled out.

To equip the stretch between Kapellen and the Dutch border with ETCS, Infrabel had to work closely with colleagues at ProRail, the Dutch rail infrastructure manager. In fact, part of the Belgian ETCS installations are on Dutch territory and are also maintained by Infrabel. Clear agreements had to be made in this regard. The cooperation with ProRail went very well.

More safety

Railway line 11 is an important freight line in the port of Antwerp. The Antigoon rail tunnel on this line was already equipped with ETCS and an additional 24 km of track with the same safety system has now been added. So from now on, there is a freight connection running from Waaslandhaven on the left bank (Scheldt) to the Antwerpen-Noord marshalling yard on the right bank that is fully equipped with ETCS.The importance of this European security system can hardly be underestimated. A train incident on February 6, 2020 made this very much clear. Just outside the Antigoon tunnel, a locomotive collided with a freight train. The material damage was extensive and the incident had a severe impact on freight transport in the port.

This accident could have been avoided if the line had been equipped with ETCS. Both the L11 and L12 are part of the European network of core network corridors. These are transport axes that must be equipped with ETCS as a European priority. There are nine in total,

three of which run on Belgian territory.

Our country is centrally located within Europe and its location makes it a logistics hub. Equipping these corridors is not only crucial for rail safety, it is also important to ensure the so-called “interoperability”. This is the ability to run trains smoothly and without problems over the rail networks of several countries.

Europe aims to roll out a unified safety system within the European Union.

This will ensure that cross-border train traffic will run much smoother in the future. At the moment, too many member states still have their own, national safety systems. So it happens all too often that a locomotive has to be replaced at the national border with a locomotive that is equipped with the

correct safety system that is used in each country. The uniform safety system ETCS should, among other things, put an end to this.

Currently, different countries often use other so-called signal images in their communication with train drivers. These images transmit essential information to drivers so that they know whether to stop or let the train run. Imagine if the traffic lights were different throughout Europe. Not obvious for international traffic. ETCS offers a solution here because it translates all these signal images into a uniform communication.

The train driver thus receives similar information throughout Europe on a screen in his train about how far and how fast they may travel.

www.freight-tracks.com March 28 2022 n 21

headline news

Adif awards a €6m contract for the maintenance of 42 freight locomotives

SPAIN Adif has awarded the maintenance services contract for a total of 42 locomotives of the 311 series that provide maneuvering and last-mile services at freight terminals and related facilities, as well as maintenance services for the railway infrastructure.

The contract has been awarded to the company Transervi, for an amount of €5.9 million and a term of 33 months. Its purpose is to guarantee that the vehicles, the maintenance of

which is managed by Adif as the Entity in Charge of Maintenance (EMM), are in optimal conditions to operate safely in the railway logistics centres, ensuring compliance with current regulations.

Specifically, the locomotives included in this contract are providing services in different logistics facilities in the North, Northwest, Northeast and Central territorial areas. expected to increase by up to 35% over the same period.

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headline news

GB Railfreight, Porterbrook partner to build 50 new wagons for sustainable rail freight

UNITED KINGDOM GB Railfreight and rolling stock company Porterbrook are starting the production of 50 new Greenbrier box wagons. The contract builds on their strong 15-year relationship as part of a sharp growth in rail freight demand being experienced today.

The transaction marks a renewed commitment from the companies to developing sustainable freight transport to meet the significant expected growth in the sector.

Recent research by IPEX on the UK market, commissioned

by Porterbrook, cited projections that intermodal rail freight is forecast to grow by over 10%, between 2022 and 2034 while construction sector traffic is expected to increase by up to 35% over the same period.

New rolling stock technology

David Golding, Asset Director at GB Railfreight said: “By partnering with Porterbrook, the new rolling stock marks our com-

mitment to supporting sustainability in the construction sector. As we look towards the future, this investment will help meet growing demand for rail freight services, whilst playing a key role in the delivery of Government’s net zero targets.”

The partnership between GB Railfreight, Porterbrook and Greenbrier builds on rail’s strong environmental credentials.

It also supports the government’s wider transport decarbonisation plans by encouraging a modal shift in the transportation of goods from road to rail.

Mark Wyborn, Head of Freight at Porterbrook said: “Today’s announcement strengthens Porterbrook’s long-term commitment to investing in rail freight and the tangible benefits this will bring not only to the economy, but to the UK’s green recovery.”

“We are thrilled that GB Railfreight has chosen to extend its partnership with Porterbrook and support us in our ambitions to bring green, innovative and affordable rolling stock options to the UK supply chain.”

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PEOPLE ON THE MOVE

DB Cargo UK appoints new Head of Asset Management and Maintenance UNITED KINGDOM DB Cargo UK has appointed a new Head of Asset Management and Maintenance to oversee the company’s in-house and third-party engineering operations.

Jon Harman, who was previously Head of Fleet for First Bus, has more than three decades of experience in engineering, having worked in senior management roles for a variety of companies including Thomsonfly, Lex Multipart and Arriva London.

Harman, a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, started his career as an Aircraft Engineering Apprentice in the RAF in 1987 and has since embarked on a rigorous programme of personal and professional development which has seen him earn qualifications in a range of additional disciplines including Engineering, Business and HR management.

He has an outstanding record in challenging legacy thinking, defining strategy, developing operational infrastructure and harnessing the power of robust systems to deliver business-critical objectives.

Commenting on his appointment, DB Cargo UK’s Chief Operating Officer Neil Ethell said: “We are delighted to welcome Jon who brings with him a wealth of experience in managing large fleets and aligning engineering excellence with the deliv-

ery of companies’ overall business plans.”

Commenting on his new role,Harman said: “DB Cargo UK has a fleet of 228 diesel and electric locomotives and over 5000 wagons that transport in the region of 37 million tonnes of freight each year across the UK and Europe. It’s a massive undertaking and I’m looking forward to tackling the numerous challenges that come with such a responsibility”.

“The safety, availability and reliability of DB’s locomotives and wagons is key to our customers’ success, and therefore it is critical to ours too” he added.

Ben Ackroyd joins Porterbrook as COO UNITED KINGDOM Ben Ackroyd has joined Porterbrook as Chief Operating Officer. The role will see him assume strategic responsibility for all operational aspects of the business across engineering, innovation and fleet services.

Ackroyd’s appointment reflects the company’s ongoing commitment to supporting its passenger, freight and infrastructure customers. “His arrival also provides a unique opportunity for us to build on our reputation for collaboration, innovation and partnership,” said the company

Have you filled a vacancy?

Share it with our readers. editor@freight-tracks.com www.freight-tracks.com March 28 2022 n 25

NEWS REVIEW

CargoBeamer opens new Cologne and Sète rail connection GERMANY Logistics service provider CargoBeamer has launched a new connection for the unaccompanied transport of semi-trailers by rail. The leading operator for intermodal trains has established a line between Cologne in western Germany and Sète in southern France.

While trains will run on a two-rotation-frequency per week, semi-trailers, swap bodies and containers can be transported environmentally friendly on rail. Together with the intermodal service provider primeRail, CargoBeamer serves as operator of the trains, being responsible for their planning and dispatching. As the Danish shipping and logistics company DFDS acts as the sole customer, Cologne – Sète becomes be the first service dedicated to one client exclusively in the portfolio of CargoBeamer.

The slots on the trains are allocated by DFDS. Each train can carry 38 trailers on T3000 wagons. From Sète, an option to extend the transport by ferry across the Mediterranean Sea to Yalova in Turkey is provided. The French company Europorte serves as the traction partner for the Franco-German line. Europorte is a subsidiary of the Getlink Group, which also operates the Eurotunnel, the only rail link between France and the United Kingdom. By adding Cologne – Sète, both companies expand their cooperation after already working together on the unaccompanied rail transportation of semi-trailers between Calais and Ashford since September 2021.

With the new service, CargoBeamer and its partners are enabling the environmentally-friendly transport of goods on rail on yet another lane. Compared to road transport, the CO2 emissions emitted during transport between Cologne and Sète

United Kingdom Logistics provider WH Malcolm celebrates a centenary, 100 years of business, in 2022. Its rail business celebrates 21 years in operation this year as well.

The comany’s commitment to decarbonisation sees a Class 90 electric loco, #90021, released in a centenary livery. The

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are reduced by around 85% per semi-trailer. As a result, 45 tonnes of greenhouse gases are saved with each train, which once again proves that rail is the transport mode of the future and will play a major role on the way towards climate-friendly logistics. Additionally, the unaccompanied transportation of semi-trailers, in which the driver and tractor unit do not travel on the train, also helps to relieve the rapidly increasing shortage of truck drivers in Europe.

Boris Timm, Chief Operating Officer of CargoBeamer, says: “We are very pleased to add another line to the CargoBeamer network with the Cologne - Sète connection. By establishing this service, which is specially tailored to the requirements of DFDS, we can once again expand our portfolio and send a strong signal to the market about how flexible our rail services can be. By having Europorte on board as a partner, we are now cooperating with three of the largest traction companies in the French market. Together, we are continuously working to create new and environmentally friendly transport lanes to make rail one of most important transport modes of the future.”

loco is dedicated to Donald Malcolm, father of Andrew and Walter Malcolm It carries WH Malcom’s support for a number of UK charities: Beatson Cancer Charity, ACCORD Hospice and St Vincent’s Hospice.

The Steel Issue WE ARE DEVOTING FREIGHT TRACKS ISSUE 6, APRIL 25 2022, TO THE MOVEMENT OF STEEL

BY RAILWAY. THAT IS WHY WE HAVE DUBBED IT THE “STEEL ISSUE”.

The Association of American Railroads spells it out. Railroads haul the iron ore, steel scrap and coke that are used to make steel. Railroads also move steel slabs, re-bar and pipe for use in construction projects. In 2020, US railroads hauled nearly 500,000 carloads of steel and other primary metal products, 650,000 carloads of iron ore and 240,000 carloads of scrap metal for producing new steel.

In Italy, the steel sales unit at DB Cargo Italia Services, a subsidiary of DB Cargo, moved over one million tonnes of steel for its Italian customers in 2021.

The volume in 2020 was just 645,000 tonnes, down some 20% on the preceding year’s.

If your company operates anywhere in the rail freight supply chain handling, moving or distributing steel, then this issue is just for you.

Whether you want to inform our readers or promote your products, we have the ideal editorial and advertising packages for you.

Editorial contributions can be made to: editor@freight-tracks.com Great advertising opportunities for the issue: freighttracks@gmail.com

NEWS REVIEW

10,000 trains on the Theemswegtracé NETHERLANDS The Theemswegtracé – the four-kilometre-long stretch of Rotterdam harbour railway line that opened three months ago – is a success.

Each day, around a hundred trains travel along what is now the first section of the Betuwe Route. Some 10,000 trains have already travelled along the section without any disruptions or delays.

The Port of Rotterdam Authority’s Chief Operations Officer, Boudewijn Siemons, is pleased. ‘We are committed to the European sustainability goal of transporting 50% more freight over the Dutch railway system within 10 years. An increase from 40 to 61 million tonnes. This goal can only be achieved with a well-functioning rail link.’

The route ensures the safe, reliable and sustainable transport of freight by rail from the port to the European hinterland.

Start of Maasvlakte Marshalling Yard

The Port of Rotterdam Authority has already launched a new

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project that is set to improve the rail product: the development of the Maasvlakte South Marshalling Yard (Emplacement-Maasvlakte Zuid).

Four bundles of six tracks and two through tracks will be built in phases.

The first bundle will enter operation in 2027.

The new marshalling yard on the Maasvlakte is an important project that arose from the logistics vision that the Port Authority and ProRail have jointly drawn up for the port of Rotterdam.

This vision states what is needed to accommodate the growth in rail freight transport.

Several infrastructure projects that will extend the accessibility of the port area are planned for between 2020 and 2030.

These include the laying of various rail bundles, electrification of the lines and the construction of connections to existing track.

The logistics vision also includes measures aimed at improving the use of the existing railway infrastructure.

NEWS REVIEW

UP: Largest-ever donation to Ukrainian humanitarian relief UNITED STATES Union Pacific is making its largest-ever corporate disaster relief donation of $500,000 to support humanitarian relief in Ukraine.

Giving will be split evenly between the American Red Cross and Save the Children and comes after an overwhelming showing of employee generosity.

Earlier this month, Union Pacific announced a 2:1 match for employees donating to six organisations providing direct support for the Ukrainian people: f Salvation Army f American Red Cross f UNICEF f Global Giving Foundation f Doctors Without Borders f Save the Children To date, Union Pacific employees have driven nearly $50,000 in matching donations from the company.

“Our hearts are with the Ukrainian

people who did nothing to provoke this attack and whose lives are irrevocably changed,” said Chairman Lance Fritz.

“Our employees’ charitable donations clearly demonstrate they’re taking a stand with the Ukrainian people, and we’re proud to let their generosity

guide our corporate contribution to two of many worthy organizations providing immediate aid.”

Union Pacific’s 2:1 employee match for humanitarian relief is unlimited and will not count toward the company’s annual match limit.

Activists attack French grain train FRANCE On Saturday March 19, the Bretagne Contre Les Fermes Usines collective stopped a freight train and dumped its contents intended to feed agro-industrial above-ground livestock farming.

The wheat contained in the wagons and dumped would not have fed men and women say the group. For seven tonnes of food injected into the intensive farming system only one ends up in human food. Some 1500 tonnes of grain, meant to feed poultry, did not enter this factory, The train’s route was blocked by a wall of rubble. The bottom flaps were opened and the cereals scattered on the tracks. The French cereal sector

denounced it as “an intolerable action” and warned of “the consequences that

this type of action could have on French consumers”.

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NEWS REVIEW

Canadian railway carloadings down in January 2022 CANADA In January, Canadian railways transported 26.5 million tonnes of freight, down 19.1% from January 2021.

This marked the fifth straight month of year-over-year declines and the steepest percentage drop in more than a decade. While rail freight transport typically slows down during the winter months, the volume of cargo carried in January 2022 was at its lowest level since 2014.

Grain loadings continue to slide

January’s drop was attributable to widespread volume declines in freight loadings in both domestic non-intermodal (mainly commodities) and intermodal (mainly containers) operations.

The tonnage of non-intermodal freight loadings posted a sharp year-over-year decline, dropping 22.6% to 20.2 million tonnes in January, marking a fifth consecutive month of year-over-year decreases. While the drop reflects broad-based declines for many commodities, it was led by ongoing large decreases in some agricultural and food products—notably grain.

Loadings of wheat declined year over year for the ninth consecutive month, down 49.6% (-1 113 000 tonnes) in January. This drop followed similar year-over-year decreases in November (-49.6%) and December (-47.0%) 2021.

Similarly, loadings of other cereal grains have declined year over year for four straight months, slumping 71.0% (-524 000 tonnes) in January—the largest drop ever recorded.

Loadings of canola, which have fallen each month since March 2021, dropped a further 53.7% (-515 000 tonnes) in January compared with the

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same month in 2021. This was their 11th consecutive month of year-overyear declines in tonnage.

January’s decline in grain traffic reflected several factors, including the ongoing depletion of stocks and lower grain crop production because of drought conditions across the Prairies in summer 2021.

There were also some residual impacts from other weather-related events in 2021, such as the November flooding and landslides in British Columbia. These declines mirror the January decrease in Canada’s exports of farm, fishing and intermediate food products, as reported in the Canadian internation-

al merchandise trade release earlier in March 2022. In terms of railway transportation, other significant decreases were reported for iron ores and concentrates, with loadings falling 17.9% (-894 000 tonnes) compared to January 2021.

Loadings of coal dipped 18.0% (-559 000 tonnes) year over year in January, a third consecutive month of decline.

Some commodities remain up

Several commodities registered increases, partly offsetting the sharp downturns in loadings noted above.

With the increasing demand for energy, loadings of refined petroleum and coal

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products (for example, butane and propane) grew 42.4% (+154 000 tonnes) in January from the same month in 2021, marking the 10th consecutive month of year-over-year increases in tonnage.

Similarly, loadings of gasoline and aviation turbine fuel, which have increased year over year since April 2021, rose 15.7% (+23 000 tonnes) in January compared with the same month in 2021, after posting strong gains in November (+28.8%) and December (+41.5%) 2021. Loadings of primary or semi-finished iron and steel products posted a year-over-year increase for the 12th consecutive month, rising 9.1% (+36 000 tonnes) compared with January 2021. Loadings of primary or semi-finished other non-ferrous metal were up 37.3% (+17 000 tonnes), their fourth straight month of year-over-year increases.

According to data from the Monthly Survey of Manufacturing, sales in the primary metal manufacturing industry continued to rise in January, up 24.0% year over year.

Loadings of paper and paperboard increased for the fifth month in a row, up 13.2% (+17 000 tonnes) in January compared with January 2021.

Intermodal traffic continues drop

In January, domestic intermodal shipments—mainly containers—continued their downward trend, dipping 12.8% year over year to 2.7 million tonnes.

This was the fifth consecutive month of declines.

Freight traffic from US rail connections grew the 11th consecutive month in January, rising 1.5% to 3.5 million tonnes. This was the second-highest volume ever recorded for a month of January.

NEWS REVIEW

Hector Rail continues to be trusted by TrATAG

SCANDINAVIA Hector Rail has received continued trust from Trätåg for railway transport of round timber between timber terminals and mills. The assignment extends between 20232025.

The parties have collaborated since 2016 and look forward to continued collaboration.

“Trätåg AB thanks you for your commitment and solution-oriented handling of our procurement. We hope for an equally good collaboration in the future,” says Olle Pettersson, CEO of Trätåg “I am very proud and happy that we have managed to gain continued trust from Trätåg and I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone at Hector Rail who made it pos-

sible and participated in this procurement and also all staff who plan and perform the daily transports for the customer.

This is team work,” says Janne Bergman, customer manager Hector Rail.

Scandinavia operator

Hector Rail is Scandinavia’s largest privately owned train operator for freight transport by rail.

Through fast, smart and safe rail transport, it connects Scandinavia and the continent and make it easy for industries and travelers to reduce their climate footprint within Scandinavia and beyond..

www.freight-tracks.com March 28 2022 n 31

NEWS REVIEW

Work underway on new Eddie Stobart facilities at DIRFT UNITED KINGDOM Work is underway on the construction of Eddie Stobart’s new, two-unit campus at Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal (Prologis RFI DIRFT), with cladding now being installed on the buildings. On completion, the new facilities will allow the company to further expand its road and rail operations.

Eddie Stobart has operated out of its facilities at DIRFT since 1997, and the plan is to vacate these properties on completion of the new units.

The build-to-suit project will see Prologis, the UK’s leading developer of

unloading of curtain-sided HGVs. Sally Duggleby, vice president in the capital deployment and leasing team at Prologis UK, said: “We have a long relationship with Eddie Stobart and it’s brilliant to help them to expand their distribution operations at DIRFT. With work now underway, we are on track to complete the construction of the new buildings in Q3 2022. Our aim is to make Eddie Stobart’s transition to the new buildings as smooth as possible.”

Classed as a nationally-significant infrastructure project, DIRFT is one of the most successful intermodal (road/rail)

site’s connectivity has played a significant role in keeping goods and services flowing around the country during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Duggleby continues: “There is a huge amount of development going on at DIRFT, including £100 million of infrastructure works and a brand-new rail freight terminal, which is set for completion in 2022.

“Since the start of the pandemic, we’ve seen just how important logistics and rail freight has been in supporting the nation and keeping vital food stocks and other much-needed consumer

logistics property, provide the haulier with two buildings, totalling 538,000 sq ft (50,000 sq m). Both buildings will benefit from a shared loading yard, which can be divided if needed.

With a clear internal height of 18m, the buildings will also feature level access points, allowing for the loading and

logistics parks in the UK. From its location within the logistics golden triangle, at the heart of the UK’s motorway and rail network, the site has excellent links to the M1 and M6 motorways, and to the West Coast Main Line. Home to household names such as Sainsbury’s and Tesco, the

goods moving around the UK. We’re extremely proud that Eddie Stobart has chosen to further expand its foothold here.”

Prologis is advised at DIRFT by Savills and JLL; Eddie Stobart was advised by Roebuck Asset Management. The project is due to be completed in Q3 2022.

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NEWS REVIEW

Creating a state aid regime for a competitive rail freight market EUROPEAN UNION On March 16, the European Commission concluded its public consultation on the revision of the State Aid Guidelines for Railway Undertakings. What is already known is that the Guidelines are in need of modernization and a revision is therefore essential. ERFA (European Rail Freight Association) believes it is important that the correct approach is adopted to this revision process so as to ensure the revised Guidelines play a constructive role in supporting a diverse and competitive European rail freight market.

ERFA has identified three key areas which need to be addressed in the revision. Regarding Support for Modal Shift, ERFA believes State Aid has an important role to play in supporting a transition towards more sustainable transport solutions. Operational Aid is therefore important although thresholds should be maintained so as to ensure State Aid does not just subsidies unsustainable business models. Given the high investments required in digitalisation, particularly ETCS deployment, Interoperability Aid should be increased to 100%.

Regarding State Aid for Rolling Stock, a cautious approach is needed.

The needs of the passenger market and freight market are fundamentally different. A different approach is therefore needed. State Aid does have an important role to play however in upgrading existing rolling stock where it is in the common interest, for example, through noise reduction retrofitting of loco motives and wagons.

Finally, in relation to Restructuring or Rescuing of a Rail Freight Undertaking, it must be recognised that such a process can greatly undermine competition. There should be no special treatment for restructuring of rail freight undertakings and normal State Aid Guidelines for Rescuing and Restructur-

ing (R&R GL) should be applicable for all rail freight undertakings. It must be recognized that liberalisation of the sector has taken place over the past 20 years and that under the existing Guidelines, Railway Undertakings have already had the opportunity to avail of restructuring up until 01 January 2010. In the same vein, ERFA stresses the revised Guidelines have an essential role to play in promoting that the provisions of Directive 2012/34, particularly regarding Articles 4-6 relating to the independence of Railway Undertakings, are properly implemented and enforced to avoid non-transparent illegal cross-subsidisation.

National markets

ERFA President, Dirk Stahl, commented: “Almost half of the European rail freight market is made up of challengers to national incumbents. If we are to look at how these figures have evolved

over the past two decades, we can anticipate this trend will continue and that challengers will soon hold the majority of national markets on average. We therefore need an evolution in how we think about State Aid. We need to transition to an approach which focuses on sectoral support measures rather than supporting individual operators.”

ERFA Secretary General, Conor Feighan, concluded: “ERFA has responded to the European Commission’s public consultation and is engaged in discussions on the revision of the State Aid Guidelines.

“We welcome the decision of the European Commission to revise the Guidelines but stress it is essential this revision process is a success. The revised Guidelines will determine the State Aid regime for the coming decade – a decade in which challengers are expected to become increasingly important – and it is critical the revised text reflects this reality.”

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NEWS REVIEW

GATX delivers new wagons to Varo Energy Marketing EUROPE GATX Rail Europe has delivered 44 newly-built mineral oil GATX tank cars type 1697 to Varo Energy Marketing AG. Just last week Varo announced that it started to load and unload trains at its latest terminal in Amsterdam using the new GATX rail tank cars.

Throughout the years, both GATX Rail Europe and Varo Energy Marketing AG have made it their mission to provide and find the safest option in fuel transport to both local and international customers.

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Before using GATX’s services, Varo employed ships to transport their cargo.

Recently, they got the opportunity to switch to rail when their partner GPS Terminal Amsterdam’s harbour got a new rail siding for the loading of rail tank cars. The first GATX Rail Europe wagons were shipped there for handover and calibration.

GATX’s team trained GPS Terminal Amsterdam staff in handling the newly built tank cars, making sure that the GPS team was well versed on topics such as the general contract of use, damages,

March 28 2022 @freighttracks

loading /unloading procedures, labels, and brae system and RID facts.

The Varo Energy Marketing AG team expressed their enthusiasm to be working with GATX Rail Europe following the successful handover: “We are delighted to be working with such a thorough and efficient team. They have proven to be an indispensable transport link that makes its customers‘ activities both more efficient and safer.

“With GATX Rail Europe by our side, making the switch to rail is easy!” says the company

NEWS REVIEW

CWE wins major overhaul project with Network Rail

UNITED KINGDOM On March 1 CWE Ltd – the independent supply, maintenance and logistics partner for the rail industry – signed a major new contract with Network Rail to overhaul the draftgear assemblies of its Mk3 Autoballaster fleet.

The Mk3 Autoballasters are part of Network Rail’s material delivery fleet and are used to deliver ballast to worksites. They undergo scheduled 10-yearly maintenance which includes the requirement to overhaul the draftgear.

Each Mk3 Autoballaster rake consists of five wagons, with a set of draftgear composed of eight assemblies. In total, the project will see CWE overhaul 24 assembly sets at its Centre of Excellence for Rail, which is based at its facility in Crowle.

CWE was chosen as the preferred partner for the project thanks to its long history of providing one of the most comprehensive maintenance and overhaul services in the UK. The contract win builds on CWE’s existing work with Network Rail, which has seen it manage ad hoc and planned outage support for Network Rail’s rail grinder fleet, overhauling multiple parts within the trains.

It also comes after the recent launch of CWE’s Centre of Excellence for Rail, which brings all of its market-leading capabilities together on one site, and its new hydraulic and mechanical buffer cell.

“Being appointed by Network Rail to work on this project is testament to our long-standing and proven track record of delivering major overhaul projects for the rail industry. This is an extremely important and significant win for CWE as we look to build on our ambition of being a strategic partner for the rail sector.

“Our maintenance, refurbishment and replacement capabilities for vital components are specifically designed to keep rolling stock on the tracks, both minimising downtime and reducing carbon emissions. By combining a depth of knowledge with lean production processes and a flexible, ‘can do’ attitude, we are able to deliver projects on time without ever compromising on quality. We are excited to see what the rest of the year will bring!” Nick Andrew, managing director at CWE

Wabtec to modernise 330 NS locomotives UNITED STATES Wabtec Corporation has agreed an additional multi-year order from Norfolk Southern to modernise 330 locomotives as part of its continued partnership. This deal is part of Norfolk Southern’s ongoing efforts to further improve fuel efficiency and reduce emissions from its fleet. With each modernised locomotive, Norfolk Southern’s carbon emissions are reduced by more than 500 tonnes per year. The deal marks the third major modernisation order from the railroad since 2015, making it the largest modernized fleet in North America, with more than 950 locomotives upon completion in 2025.

“Modernising locomotives in our fleet will improve operational performance and reliability,” said Tom

Schnautz, Vice President Advanced Train Control for Norfolk Southern. “Importantly, it will also help us achieve our science-based target of a 42% reduction in emissions intensity by 2034. Wabtec’s proven modernisation programme allows us to maximise the value of our locomotives, minimise the use of new materials and reduce the environmental impact of our operations.”

Wabtec will modernise D9-44CW locomotives that are more than 20 years old and transform them into AC44C6Ms, which will add another 20 years of incremental life to each locomotive. The modernised locomotives will feature the FDL Advantage engine upgrade and a suite of digital solutions including Trip Optimiser, SmartHPT, and Distributed

Power. The modernisations will yield significant dividends per locomotive, including fuel efficiency improved by as much as 25%; a more than 40% increase in reliability; haulage ability increased by up to 55%; and a reduction of maintenance, repair and overhaul expenses by 20%.

“Wabtec has developed a portfolio of modular technologies for a variety of retrofit solutions for middle-aged locomotives. This has been done in a strategic way, analysing the fleet and needs of our customers. Our modernisation program allows NS to enhance its existing fleet by bringing the aging locomotives’ performance to the latest standards,” said Pascal Schweitzer, President of Wabtec Freight Services.

www.freight-tracks.com March 28 2022 n 35

NEWS REVIEW

The Port of Victoria announces plans for new regional logistics hub

UNITED STATES The Victoria County Navigation District announces plans for the Texas Logistics Center at the Port of Victoria (TXLC). Strategically positioned in a Foreign Trade Zone and Texas Enterprise Zone, the regional logistics hub is situated two hours from Houston, Austin, and San Antonio. With over 2000 acres (800 ha) available for development and access to rail, water, and highway transport, TXLC provides strategic business opportunities in Texas.

Phase 1 will see the addition of over 42,000 feet (13 km) of track, including the build-out of three 10,000-foot (3 km) drop and pull tracks.

Later phases include storage tracks, transloading, connections to new tenants, and upon completion, TXLC will be served by Union Pacific and BNSF railroads.

“The Texas Logistics Center will significantly strengthen the Port’s ability to provide top-tier logistics solutions in economic development through the expansion of our services and physical footprint across North America.” said Executive Director of the POV, Sean Stibich.

TXLC’s connection to the 35-mile (56 km) Victoria Barge Canal leading to the Gulf of Mexico is located on the M69 Marine highway, connecting 11 deep-water and 13 shallow-water ports along the Texas coast.

In addition to ample water access, TXLC has over three miles of road infrastructure located within eight miles of major Texas highways.

TNW Corporation, a privately-held operator of short line railroads and logistics centres in Texas, currently provides in-

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dustry rail operations for the POV and will continue assisting with the development of the TXLC / POV’s multi-phase rail expansion project. “Our strategic alliance with the POV continues to thrive. The addition of the Texas Logistics Center offers a strategic logistics advantage to businesses seeking to relocate operations in Texas, and TNW is proud to be part of the Port’s growth.” said Wade Hoffmann, TNW’s Vice President of Marketing and Sales.

NEWS REVIEW

DC Rail takes advantage of a 12% increase in payloads

UNITED KINGDOM Recent Network Rail enhancement works in the Newport, Wales area have allowed payloads of limestone trains to be increased by 12%. This means that DCRail can take full advantage of its optimised JNA-T

wagons to offer an efficient solution to its customer.

Class 60 60046 ‘William Wilberforce’ is seen crossing the River Ebbw in Newport. The Bassaleg Viaduct is the oldest operational railway viaduct in the world

being completed in 1826. Amazing that a viaduct built for a horse drawn tramway four years before the ‘Rocket’ took to the rails is now being used nearly 200 years on for 21st century national infrastructure projects.

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editor@freight-tracks.com ! t s i l n o i t u b i r t s i d s s e r p r u o Put us on y www.freight-tracks.com March 28 2022 n 37

NEWS REVIEW

Paper Excellence thanks Saskatchewan for rail service issues support

CANADA Back in February, Paper Excellence first publicly raised serious concerns about poor rail service provided by CN Rail. Full CN rail service is critical to moving products from Meadow Lake Mechanical Pulp mill to global markets.

While rail service has not yet improved, Paper Excellence has appreciated the advocacy the Saskatchewan government has undertaken with the federal government and the Minister of Transport, Minister Alghabra. Specifically, Minister Fred Bradshaw has written a strong letter to Minister Alghabra that raises the rail challenges.

The ongoing lack of CN rail service that continues to negatively impact business operations.

Paper Excellence, headquartered in British Columbia, is a diversified manufacturer of pulp and specialty, printing, writing, and packaging papers. It operates seven mills and a large-scale cargo distribution centre producing and shipping over 2.8 million tonnes annually. It is poised to continue to grow with its strategy of operational excellence and high-quality, cost-effective products.

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JB Hunt, BNSF announce joint capacity initiative UNITED STATES JB Hunt Transport Services and BNSF Railway Company (BNSF) are launching a joint effort to substantially improve capacity in the intermodal marketplace while also meeting the expanding needs of current customers.

Demand for intermodal services has grown significantly in recent years as companies look to secure capacity, while reducing costs and their carbon footprint. Based on current and projected trends, JB Hunt plans to grow its intermodal fleet to as many as 150,000 containers in the next three to five years, a 40%+ increase from its count at the end of 2021. The company has completed more than four million intermodal loads since 2020.

initiative, BNSF will increase capability at multiple intermodal facilities. To further integrate its joint service product with JB Hunt, BNSF is providing several property locations around key intermodal hubs in Southern California, Chicago, and other key markets to increase efficiency at terminals.

Additionally, BNSF will bolster its railcar equipment to accommodate the anticipated increase in container capacity, which will support efficient throughput and strong service performance.

In addition to growing its container count, JB Hunt will add supporting chassis based on market need.

Over the years, both companies have invested billions of dollars to en-

“Over the past few years, intermodal has been disrupted by increased demand and tight capacity, resulting in poor container velocity and long dwell times,” said John Roberts, President and CEO of JB Hunt.

“Together, JB Hunt and BNSF will enhance their work to bring back the consistency and reliability customers expect with intermodal services and further embrace intermodal conversion and transloading services. This priority falls directly in line with JB Hunt’s mission statement to create the most efficient transportation network in North America.”

Looking forward and as part of the

sure intermodal’s ability to grow with customers and meet the increasing demand for intermodal services.

The companies will leverage technology, including the industry leading JB Hunt 360, to improve efficiencies in rail transport. JB Hunt 360’s digital freight matching platform is one of the few in the industry to support intermodal services.

Based on analysis of JB Hunt 360 transactions and annual bid activity, the company estimates that an additional seven to eleven million shipments could be converted to intermodal, supporting long-term growth opportunities while avoiding carbon emissions.

March 28 2022 @freighttracks

NEWS REVIEW

DOUBLE THUMBS UP FOR DOUBLE STACKED TRAINS AUSTRALIA The Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) has backed a modification of the bridge over the Walgett Branch Line in Narrabri to allow double stacked trains to transition on and off the Inland Rail mainline and further boost freight opportunities in northern New South Wales (NSW).

Following consultation with Narrabri Shire Council and key stakeholders ARTC will increase the height of the planned bridge over the existing Walgett Branch Line from 5.8 m to 7.1 m to allow double stacked container wagons to pass under.

Raising the bridge

ARTC Chief Executive Officer Mark Campbell said raising the bridge will help industries to realise benefits from the long-term supply chain activities taking place at Narrabri.

“We have committed over $8 million to raise the height of the proposed Inland Rail bridge to 7.1 metres to allow double stacked trains to pass through the Walgett Branch Line, which will help support the vision of the Narrabri Council for a world class Inland Port at Narra-

bri,” said Campbell.

“This is going to future-proof the investments which have been made in Narrabri by providing long-term productivity gains as well as better connection to existing rail networks and the Port of Newcastle.

“ARTC is committed to creating a safe and efficient rail network and maximising supply opportunities to allow regional communities to prosper for years to come.

“Inland Rail, the Narrabri Activation Precinct, Northern NSW Inland Port and the Narrabri to Turrawan Line Upgrade project are all key elements of delivering a future freight hub in northern NSW,” said Campbell.

Win for the community

ARTC Inland Rail’s Interim Chief Executive Rebecca Pickering said the decision

is a win for the community and farmers in northern NSW. “This is another example of how we are working alongside the community and key stakeholders to achieve better outcomes for years to come,” said Pickering. “The Narrabri to North Star section of Inland Rail is charging ahead, where 920 people, including 281 residents, have worked on the project since construction commenced in 2020.

“As we approach construction on the Narromine to Narrabri section later this year, we are committed to creating opportunities for the local community and workforce.

“The modification to this bridge is a great result and we will continue to work alongside Narrabri Shire Council and key stakeholders as Inland Rail ramps up.

“We are also future proofing the designs for Inland Rail by including the footprint of a future enhanced connection between the Walgett Branch and Inland Rail in the plans for Inland Rail.”

The bridge will be upgraded as part of the Narromine to Narrabri Inland Rail project, with construction on track to kick off in late 2022

Port of Corpus Christi selects Watco as rail service provider UNITED STATES The Port of Corpus Christi, Texas and Watco have signed a ten-year contract for Watco to become the operator of the short line railroad servicing the Port of Corpus Christi. Watco’s newly formed entity, Texas Coastal Bend Railroad (TCBR), will be providing rail service along the 63-mile line.

The Port of Corpus Christi has allocated significant capital in recent years to upgrade its rail infrastructure to better serve its current and future customers. This includes an approximately $12 million infrastructure expansion near the port’s Bulk Materials Terminal, which will be complete later this year.

Growth potential

“As one of the largest rail and port terminal operators in North America, we see the potential for growth, expansion and economic development in the region,” said Stefan Loeb, Watco’s COO. “We look forward to building our partnership through the years.”

“The port is excited to conclude a selection process that received great reception from outstanding short line companies, and we want to thank our consultants at Bluejay Advisors for their assistance in bringing the effort to conclusion,” said Clark Robertson, chief operating officer for the Port of Corpus Christi. “We believe Watco will continue best-in-class, customer-friendly service that our customers expect. The Port has seen its rail business more than double over the past few years and with this agreement and expanding infrastructure is well positioned to drive continued growth for the Coastal Bend region.”

In addition to being the nation’s leading export gateway of U.S.-produced energy via the Corpus Christi Ship Channel, the Port of Corpus Christi moves an ever-growing range of commodities through its rail system. Those include wind turbine components, agricultural commodities, refined fuels and military cargo.

The port railroad system has connectivity to three Class I railroads: the BNSF, KCS and UP. The TCBR is expected to begin

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NEWS REVIEW

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NEWS REVIEW

LAKE STATE RAILWAY GETS STRATEGIC FUNDS FROM ANTIN INFRASTRUCTURE PARTNERS UNITED STATES Lake State Railway Company (LSRC) and Antin Infrastructure Partners have announced that LSRC, a Michigan-based regional freight railroad with an impressive track record and runway for continued growth, has received a strategic investment from Antin, one of the world’s leading infrastructure investment firms.

LSRC, formed in 1992, is an approximately 375-mile (600 km) rail freight network spanning the eastern corridor of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula. The company provides freight transportation, railcar storage, and transloading services. LSRC is a critical component of the North American transportation infrastructure supply chain. Through interconnections with multiple Class I rail partners, LSRC provides bidirectional rail access between Michigan and the broader U.S. and Canadian markets to a diverse set of over 60 customers across a range of durable end markets. In 2021, the company moved over 60,000 carloads.

LSRC is a vital contributor to the State of Michigan, one of the fastest growing state economies in the US and one of the largest manufacturing centres in North America. In addition, LSRC’s rail service provides an environmentally friendly shipping option for customers, as freight rail is significantly more fuel efficient than over-the-road

alternatives.<The company’s current management team, which has been in place for nearly a decade and will continue to lead the business, has overseen substantial capital investments into the LSRC rail network and, as a result, strong growth in both customer additions and increased traffic. Through the strength of its 135 employees and the leadership of its management team, LSRC was selected as 2018 Short Line of the Year and 2021 Regional Railroad of the Year

by Railway Age John Rickoff, President and CEO, LSRC commented: “We welcome Antin as a long-term strategic partner to sup-

port our continued growth plans and vision for the future of LSRC. We look forward to working with Antin to grow our customer base and expand our rail network.”

Kevin Genieser, Senior Partner, Antin, stated: “We are excited to partner with LSRC’s management team for the company’s next chapter of growth. Our investment in LSRC is another major milestone for Antin’s franchise in North America, representing our fourth U.S. investment.”mental attributes. We look forward to working with LSRC’s management team to further accelerate its growth.”

Plans to restore passenger services to Kent freight line UNITED KINGDOM A plan to restore passenger service to a line in England’s south-east that lost it 54 years ago will work to integrate new services on the freight-only line.

The line is located on the Hoo Peninsular in the county of Kent. The Hoo peninsula is situated to the east of Gravesend and to the north of Chatham. As part of a Housing Infrastructure Funding Grant, Medway Council are upgrading the current freight-only railway. The existing Network Rail line through the Hoo Peninsula is called the Grain Branch line which connects the North Kent Line at Hoo Junction to the Isle of Grain.

The line was closed to passenger services in 1968 and is now a freight-only railway, with no stations remaining. The 19

km (12 mile) line is a single, bi-directional line serving freight trains that use the Isle of Grain docks (Thamesport) and Cliffe sidings.

The existing line will require enhancements to enable the required passenger services to operate while maintaining freight services. The new rail service will enable passengers to travel from a new station near Sharnal Street to the main line and on to London via connecting services to London Charing Cross, London Victoria, London Bridge and London St Pancras International.

The value of the works is around £48 million and should run for two years..

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Safety first

Mastering dangerous goo DB Cargo BTT makes sure dangerous goods reach their destina

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Safety first

ods transport from A to Z ation quickly and safely.

By DB CARGO AG E

thylene oxide, ammonia and mineral oil are just three examples of different substances that have one thing in common: They are classified as dangerous goods because they have dangerous properties, such as being highly flammable or toxic. Or even because they pose an explosion risk. And that means that when chemicals like these need to be transported, the focus has to be on doing it safely.

DB Cargo BTT, with its more than 30 years of dangerous goods expertise, shows just how successfully this can be done.

Now a subsidiary of DB Cargo, BTT has been transporting sensitive chemicals and mineral oils since 1989.

At that time, five forwarders and operators joined forces to form BTT Bahn Tank Transport GmbH, which had one important mission: to shift as many dangerous goods transports as possible to rail. “The decision did not come about by chance,” explains Stephan Bude, Dangerous Goods Safety Adviser at DB Cargo BTT. “Rail is by far one of the safest modes of transport. Statistically, 42 times fewer accidents happen on rail than on the road.

What’s more, hazardous goods transports are much more sustainable by rail, with each train saving 80 to 100% of the CO2 emitted by the equivalent road transport.”

agers from DB Cargo BTT visit their customers on site and get an idea of the different procedures and processes at the loading facilities and track systems. The safety meetings also focus on sharing ideas about joint developments and potential for improvement. “Opportunities like these are crucial so that we can learn from each other and grow together,” says Bude.

Safety is top priority

And just in case, DB Cargo BTT is also well prepared if a disruption or irregularity does occur despite all the safety precautions taken. It has a comprehensive set of internal rules that go into effect along with a list of measures to be carried out, an emergency management system and a reporting chain.

“We have an on-call service 24/7. In the event of an emergency, an internal group of experts from a wide range of DB Cargo BTT departments ranging from operations to sales will even come together if necessary and work to find a quick solution for our customers and take any measures to protect society. We provide advice and support, ensure that information is shared quickly, and take action if necessary,” Bude says.

The right equipment at all times Maintaining an active dialogue

Transporting sensitive freight of course requires special care.

That means that every transport is seamlessly monitored and processes are documented and continuously improved. In addition, checks and inspections are routine.

“It is essential for us to look at the entire transport chain, which can only function if everyone involved cooperates and supports each other. That includes everyone knowing what everyone else’s job is, for example, even if they may not have anything to do with it personally,” says Bude. “That’s why we need the flow of information to work and to maintain an indepth dialogue.

“We discuss not only what needs to be optimised, but also what is going well, so that we can fine-tune processes together and keep adapting and improving them over the long term.”

Safety Meetings

Safety meetings are held with certain customers multiple times a year to ensure a regular dialogue takes place between all parties involved. In conjunction with these meetings, man-

DB Cargo BTT has a diverse and modern fleet for transporting sensitive products, including: f Compressed gas tank wagons f Tank wagons for chemical products f Bulk freight wagons for free-flowing goods f Dry bulk freight wagons and silo tank wagons for particulate products f Salt wagons f Container wagons f Various tank containers and curtain-side containers If required, DB Cargo BTT can provide modern tank containers with the highest transport standards for sensitive products.

Certified expertise in dangerous goods

Dangerous good transports are only permitted if the relevant national and international legal provisions are complied with at every step in the transport process. “We aim for maximum safety throughout the entire supply chain, from consignor to consignee,” says Bude. “Which is why we also actively partic-4

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Safety first 4

ipate in the European Chemical Industry Council (CEFIC) Safety and Quality Assessment System (SQAS) in several European countries and are certified accordingly.”

DB Cargo BTT also has ISO 9001 certification, confirming its high safety standards.

Special challenges also arise when new hazardous goods need to be transported, Jennifer Thierbach, Head of Chemicals, explains: “It is always important to stay on the ball when it comes to hazardous goods.

“Just in the last few years, so much has happened in hydrogen and battery transport that continuous learning and training are essential, for example so we can learn about new equipment.”

The DB Cargo BTT team maintains an active dialogue with all participants, such as various official bodies and the Federal Railway Authority.

Strong network and customised solutions

Last but not least, DB Cargo BTT also offers a number of other services in addition to transporting dangerous goods. “We’re

able to combine the strengths of an innovative dangerous goods forwarder with the advantages of the entire DB Cargo network,” says Gabriele Jansen-Krekels, Head of Mineral Oil. “We offer our customers a wide range of services tailored to their individual needs – from operational and technical fleet management to fleet-related services.

“And on top of that, customers benefit from our decades of logistics experience and the extensive knowledge of our team.”

Rail Safety Days

Safety always comes first. That’s why DB Cargo BTT has developed a concept that is the only one of its kind in the industry: Rail Safety Days.

The DB subsidiary invites a wide range of stakeholders and experts from among its customers and partners in safety and dangerous goods to share the latest information on dangerous goods.

The Rail Safety Days also include training and practical exercises on technology, risk prevention and procedures to follow when incidents occur.

At the Rail Safety Days, training courses and practical exercises are held for employees of all participating companies on the topics of technology, hazard avoidance and the procedure to be followed in the event of incidents.

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Pop-Up Container Yards

Delivering supply cha

Georgia Ports Authority finds congestion solution with in

W

ith containers piling up at US ports and intermodal terminals in 2021 amid unprecedented freight bottlenecks, engineering consultancy HDR supported the Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) in pioneering a creative solution: pop-up container yards. These facilities are providing relief for the Port of Savannah by staging containers at off-dock locations served by truck and rail and away from on-dock staging areas used to maintain efficient day-to-day operations at the port.

The term “pop-up” speaks to the uniqueness of the concept and the urgency of the need. While a typical port container yard or intermodal facility might take years to plan, design and build, the “pop-up container yard” approach fast-tracked the implementation process by converting sites that were previously developed for other purposes into temporary storage and inland port facilities, where containers can be held or picked up by customers for delivery with minimal startup time and investment.

The Port of Savannah is the second busiest container port and the busiest container exporter on the US East Coast. These facilities are relieving supply chain issues in Georgia and could serve as a model for other ports and facilities.

A freight bottleneck

As shipping delays across the United States worsened, President Biden assembled a Supply Chain Disruption Task Force in June of 2021 to identify key constraints and develop solutions.

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With port congestion becoming a critical area of focus, the White House appointed former Deputy US Transportation Secretary John Porcari to serve as the task force’s Port Envoy.

Within days of starting his new position, Porcari placed a call to the GPA asking for help. GPA then placed a call to HDR. The GPA knew that HDR would be an ideal partner to help it develop a solution for the White House task force that would regain the Port of Savannah’s throughput capabilities and reduce shipping delays for port customers throughout the Southeast US. The GPA had an idea for a supply chain relief programme involving the use of temporary inland storage sites and intermodal rail transportation to move large volumes of containers. It then asked HDR to assist in refining the concept and developing a proposal requesting federal funding for a pilot project that would test the concept using a small number of inland sites, some in far-away locations served by rail and some close to the port served by truck.

By Wes Dortch, Kevin Kel

Offsite solution

Over a four-week period in September and October, HDR and the GPA held multiple calls and online meetings to discuss several aspects; presenting the concept to the White House task force; articulating the details of specific locations and parcels; conveying the magnitude of the solution, in terms of container units expedited and shipping delays reduced; and framing the

Pop-Up Container Yards

ain relief for US ports

ntermodal sites hundreds of miles from shore funding proposal using familiar elements from federal grant applications to help task force members clearly understand the problem, solution and use of funds being requested.

Meanwhile, GPA worked with its Class I railroad partners, CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern Railway, and regional economic development agencies to locate sites already equipped with many of the needed features for container storage and multimodal transfer capabilities (locations such as minimally used or deactivated parking lots and rail-served parcels), which could be quickly retrofitted into yards for the Port of Savannah. Short-term leases governing land use, equipment rental and truck haulage were swiftly completed. And the GPA quickly executed service agreements with CSX and NS for container transport on existing intermodal trains from the Port of Savannah to several of the remote sites, helping to facilitate the rapid development of an entire network of strategically located pop-up container yards throughout the Southeast US. HDR reviewed potential sites with the GPA and discussed benefits and drawbacks, ensured that information concerning site specifications, capacities and cost requirements for each location was obtained from various port authority officials and incorporated into the proposal for a complete funding request, prepared graphics portraying the network of truck- and railserved container yard locations, and wrote and formatted the complete funding proposal for the White House task force. The final funding request clearly articulated the concept’s purpose and need, its fundamental operating principles, anticipated payback and general benefits and the estimated capital and operating costs for a six-month pilot.

HDR also helped the GPA with the messaging of the concept for the White House audience. GPA executive director Griff Lynch suggested the term pop-up container yards to describe the idea (the working term had been grounding centres) and HDR and GPA developed a project name that would convey the importance of the concept as a regional supply chain solution: the South Atlantic Supply Chain Relief Program.

ller and Matt Van Hattem

Dramatic Benefits

On November 9 2021, the White House unveiled an Action Plan for America’s Ports and Waterways, which included $8 million in funding for the South Atlantic Supply Chain Relief Program. The award provided the capital costs and funding for six months of operation at five demonstration pop-up container yards in Georgia and North Carolina. Three sites are served

by CSX trains, two of which were developed by leasing available portions of land at CSX intermodal facilities in Atlanta and

Rocky Mount, the newly-opened Carolina Connector, as well as land adjacent to an existing GPA inland port in Chatsworth.

Within three weeks of the White House’s announcement — and less than three months after the port’s initial call to HDR — the first pop-up container yard was in operation. Four of the five sites were handling containers by the end of the year, and the fifth opened in February 2022. Altogether, the five new facilities add an annual capacity of 410,000 TEUs to the port, the equivalent of 21 “mega-ships” each holding 19,600 TEUs. The strategy has paid dramatic dividends. By mid-December, GPA had cut the volume of stored containers at the Port of Savannah by nearly 25%, regaining operating capacity that reduced the backlog of ships waiting for berth space at the Port from 31 vessels in mid-October to just six. From the programme’s beginning in late November 2021 to mid-February 2022, the average dwell time for containers at the port dropped from 17 days to less than 10, with much of the difference attributed to the creation of these new inland facilities.

Successful federal grant record

The funding strategy was built on an established relationship between the GPA and HDR’s port and freight rail planning teams. Through grant applications prepared by HDR over the past seven years, GPA has been awarded more than $140 million from the federal FASTLANE, INFRA, and Port Infrastructure Development programs to advance critical projects that have improved supply chain efficiency throughout the region.

These previous projects include a new rail intermodal container transfer facility at the Port of Savannah that will double the Port’s container handling capacity on and off railcars and relocate switching activities onto port property and away from surrounding communities, funded in part with a $44 million FASTLANE grant; a new inland port under construction in Northeast Georgia that will provide a rail transportation option for customers in place of a long-haul truck move on congested Atlanta highways, funded in part with a $46.8 million INFRA grant; as well as berth expansion projects for container shipments at the Port of Savannah and automotive shipments at the Port of Brunswick.

About the Authors Wes Dortch leverages 25 years of diverse transportation design experience and 17 years of specialized port and marine design.

Kevin Keller, HDR US director of rail planning, has considerable experience and extensive programme management skills Matt Van Hattem is a works across the US for HDR as a project task lead and senor railway operations analyst and planner, he works closely with Class I freight railroads.

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HIGH CUBE BOXCARS

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Hi CUBE BOXCARS

MOVING HIGH VOLUME LOW WEIGHT CARGO www.freight-tracks.com March 28 2022 n 49

HIGH CUBE BOXCARS

Moving high volume low weight cargo Not all goods moved by rail in North America are stuffed into a standard shipping container. High cube or hi-cube boxcars still have a role to play in moving products

T

he current stock of hi-cube boxcars grew out of a need in the 1950s and 1960s by North American railroad managers to move more cargo in fewer boxcars. The prevailing post-war boxcar remained a 40-foot (12 m) standard. These boxcars relied on loose cargo manhandled into and out of the car at sidings or freight platforms.

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The groundbreaking Pennsylvania Railroad’s X-31 boxcar from the 1930s was one of the first to address the capacity issues by pushing the clearance envelope in the 20th century.

These new cars made it possible to transport finished automobiles more efficiently. These paved the way for new “standard” height cars like the PS-1 boxcars that followed. Boxcars

Hi CUBE BOXCARS

remained a fairly constant 15 foot (4.5 m) height through the 1950s. In the 1960s, the interest in higher and longer cars was revived. However, this time it was not for the shipment of finished automobiles but instead auto parts such as panels.

These 40-ft high cube boxcars were dubbed “baby hicubes”.

Two feet (60 cm) were added in height to the standard 40 ft cars. They often featured a squared-off design.

The additional two feet of interior height meant these cars were known as an “Plate F” boxcar. These dimensional changes gave the type its nomenclature. Hi-cube cars now come in many lengths, sizes and colours and now carry much more than just auto parts.

The booming consumer culture of 1950s America induced historic rolling stock manufacturer Pullman Standard to construct 40 ft cars at 17 ft height for the movement of domestic appliances such as washing machines. They and several other manufacturers have built cars as long as 86 feet for auto parts.

Add in cushioned coupler draft gear and these cars can come out at 92 feet in length. Other common lengths include 50- and 60-foot cars.

Examples of products that move in hi-cubes include automobile parts, appliances like washers, dryers, dishwashers and so on and just about any other bulky but light items.

Diminishing capital

In an era of two-mile long double stack intermodal, there remains call for the capacity offered by the boxcar. Industry observers consider that there are fewer than 100,000 boxcars in the US currently. Some third of the fleet has disappeared in the last decade. At the same time thousands of more cars are approaching the end of their lifespan by 2027. Boxcar construction is capital intensive for railroads. This means replenishing the fleet on a like-for-like basis is not practical. This is an effect of the permanent loss of much cargo which has migrated to highways.

High-Cube boxcars

High-cube boxes usually stand out in any train. Their extra height adds some diversity and visual interest to any consist for train spotters. These cars that today seem to be standard height were once considered oversized. Massive 86 ft long, 17 ft tall auto parts boxcars still loom large 40 years after their introduction. The 86-footers were for auto parts, but primarily lighter parts such as body stampings. Frames tended to move on flatcars and in gondolas in racks built for the purpose.

The excess height section of the car end is often painted with a white band to be easily visible if wrongly assigned to4

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HIGH CUBE BOXCARS 4

a low-clearance line.

Since the beginning of railroads, freight cars have continually grown heavier, longer and taller. This process is not as quick or easy as it seems. Larger cars require larger clearances – both on the railroad that owns them and all of the railroads it may travel over.

This not only applies to bridges and tunnels but also to private clearance issues like utility lines and customers’ buildings over which the railroad may have little control. Consequently, it can take years or even decades until enough of the infrastructure is in place to make larger cars practical.

Compared with today’s monsters, the PRR’s X-31 may seem petite. It was not compared with its contemporaries. Early high cubes were still equipped with high ladders, brake wheels and roof walks as the smaller and more traditional box cars. While the running boards were later removed for safety reasons, the other features often remained in situ.

The first cars often came equipped with high-mounted hand brakes and roof walks like other conventional equipment of the time. These running boards were especially dangerous on these tall cars as they left little if any clearance should somebody actually be up there when the vehicle wa sin motion on the main line. Soon after the introduction of the early high-cubes, regulations requiring running boards on the roof, a hold-over from the days when a brakemen needed to move from car to car to use hand brakes to stop the train, were removed. In most cases the ladders were shortened and handbrakes moved to a closer position nearer the ground. Future

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new construction on high cube and standard boxcars in the 1970s and beyond had this feature as standard.

Weighing out

With many commodities, a standard boxcar can be totally filled and not come anywhere near the weight handling capacity of the car. This is sometimes referred to “cubing out” vs. “weighing out”. Think feather pillows against gold bars.

An older generation railroader described his reminiscences of railroad operation four decades ago. He contributed to a blog: “While working the Norwalk Switcher (Southern Pacific, Norwalk, California) in the 80’s, there was a company where we would ‘spot’ 2 Hi-cube boxcars.

“The ‘dunnage’ of the loads (pallets, banding, etc.) would weigh more than the items shipped. 2 cars in, 2 cars out, every day. But, they really needed the high capacity these cars offered. The item they made and shipped? Styrofoam “coolers”, yes, those light-weight things that only weigh about 3 ozs. They would stack them as units. Meaning the bodies would stack into each other about 6 feet high, then the tops would fit into each other for another stack/pallet. IIRC, the waybills would list something like 22,000+ units per car, and the weight of the “load” was somewhere in the area of 3 or 4 tons. But, a load is a load, even if it was only a few tons more than an ‘empty’! Or, more like approx. 2 1/2 tons of foam, and the rest, 1 1/2 tons, or so, of packing items/dunnage. (I bet if that car fell into a lake during a derailment, it would float!).”

SMALL SCALE RAIL FREIGHT

MI-JACK boxes clever In each issue of Freight Tracks we look at scale model versions of modern and old school freight rolling stock and infrastructure N scale Walthers Cornerstone MI-JACK Translift Intermodal Crane

A

must-have for modelling contemporary intermodal operations, MIJACK Translift Intermodal Crane will help the supply chain on your layout keep going.

The model version

This Walthers Cornerstone MI-JACK Translift Intermodal Crane is based on the versatile crane that moves trailers and containers between trains and trucks or container chassis. It’s wide enough to straddle the intermodal car and two rows of trailers or containers parked side by side, making short work

of loading or unloading.

The completed MI-JACK Translift Intermodal Crane measures 4 x 3-1/8 x 3” 10.1 x 7.9 x 7.6cm. The model, with a RRP of $34.98, the model includes must-have detail for 1970s and later intermodal terminals; used worldwide; holds containers or trailers; adjustable parts to model a working crane; Includes magnets to hold containers. It is an easyto-build plastic kit moulded in orange plastic with colourful decals included.

The real crane

Translift is the most dependable con-

tainer handling equipment in the industry and has the fastest cycle times to turn trains.

The heavy-duty Translift series RTGs continue to be the workhorse of the rail intermodal industry.

Mi-Jack Products, Inc is recognised as an industry leader and innovator in Travelift and Translift Rubber Tired Gantry crane manufacturing, sales, service and support.

Mi-Jack is also recognised as an industry leader in providing maintenance services, inspections, repairs and parts for railroad, port and industrial equipment end-users.

www.freight-tracks.com March 28 2022 n 53

DID THE RAILROAD INVENT End of the Line. THE ICEBERG LETTUCE?

Rail freight off-duty

I

t is an attractive story. A need to transport fresh lettuce from growers in California to eager diners in the US Mid-West or on the East Coast at the start of the Jazz Age prompted the creation of the Iceberg lettuce. A popular vegetable to the this day, lettuce was the first fresh produce that Americans were able to buy any day or week of the year. Prior to this, they relied on root vegetables like cabbage, potatoes, and carrots. Lettuce exploded onto the culinary scene when growers in California’s Salinas Valley figured out how to send train cars filled with iceberg lettuce across the continent to diners in New York City, Boston and Chicago.

Iceberg has the unique ability to stay crisp and fresh if its ambient temperature is maintained at 32 degrees Fahrenheit (0 C). It has a long shelf life of 21-26 days, fourteen of which were needed to reach Chicago at the time. The Salinas Valley also had access to electricity to power ice-making plants, where 30,000 pounds of ice were produced daily to fill the rail cars, below and above the lettuces.

Fresh Express, which survives to this day, on its website claims that its founder Bruce Church “was responsible for popularising the idea of shipping lettuce across the US continent from Salinas, California to the spots on the East coast. Using ice they carefully covered the heads of lettuce and shipped them. Year around and all the way as far as Maine, as the train pulled into each stop, folks would call out excitedly: ‘The icebergs are coming, the icebergs are coming!’ The name would stick. Before that people had to depend on what you could grow locally and preserve from the gardens.”

Story debunked

It is a nice story but is debunked by food writer Caroline Hatchett who wrote: “While most sources attribute the lettuce’s name to its icy shipping method, the name pre-dates iceberg’s com-

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mercial success. The more likely inspiration: the lettuce’s “icewhite colour and crunchy texture.”

Iceberg is only one of many types of Crisphead lettuce. It has several other varieties, such as imperial, Great Lakes, Vanguard and Western. Until the 1930 it was known as Crisphead lettuce.

Peachy

In the 1870s, the lack of a practical means to refrigerate peaches limited the markets open to Samuel Rumph, a Georgia peach grower.

In 1875, he invented a refrigerated railcar and crates that allowed him to grow peaches on a very large scale and ship them to distant markets. He was the first to achieve this. His innovations created Georgia’s fame for peaches.

Edwin Tobias Earl was born on a fruit ranch near Red Bluff, California on May 30 1858. He started his career in the shipping of fruits.

By 1886, he was President of the Earl Fruit Company. In 1890, he invented the refrigerator car to transport fruits to the East Coast of the United States. He established the Continental Fruit Express and invested $2,000,000 in refrigerator cars. In 1901, he sold his refrigerator cars to Armour and Company of Chicago.

By the turn of the 20th century, manufactured ice became more common.

The Pacific Fruit Express (PFE) - a joint venture between the Union Pacific and Southern Pacific railroads, with a fleet of 6,600 refrigerator cars built by the American Car and Foundry Company (ACF) - maintained seven natural harvesting facilities, and operated 18 artificial ice plants.

Their largest plant (located in Roseville, California) produced 1,200 tonnes of ice daily and Roseville’s docks could accommodate up to 254 cars. At the industry’s peak, 1.2 million tonnes of ice was produced for refrigerator car use annually.

BECAUSE NOT ALL FREIGHT ON A TRAIN MOVES IN A BOX

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visit: tankcontainermedia.com

RAILROADS HAVE BEEN CARRYING FREIGHT SINCE DAY 1.

IT’S NOW DAY 71,406.

WORLD FREIGHT TRAIN DAY 2022 will celebrate the drivers, yard staff, loaders, planners and workshop staff who get the freight through.

Freight Tracks will work with railroads and Freight Operating Companies to promote the importance of the modern freight train in the global supply chain. The date marks the day the world’s first public railway, the Stockton & Darlington Railway in England, opened.

That was 71,406 days ago today.

Join us as over the next seven months, we will plan a series of events and projects that salute the Freight Train in all its importance.

KEEP THE DATE:

September 27, 2022