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Oct 22, 2020 at 3:30 PMTU Berlin has found in a study that up to 16 million tons of CO2, or about one-third of the total greenhouse gas emissions from road freight transport in Germany, can be saved annually. Various measures and adjusted framework conditions are intended to make this reduction possible. The Network of European Railways (NEE) and the Association of Freight Wagon Holders in Germany (VPI) are also convinced of this combination.
(Berlin) – Up to 16 million tons of CO2 or about one-third of the total greenhouse gas emissions from road freight transport in Germany could be saved through a combination of new railway wagons, additional terminal locations, mandatory crane compatibility of trailers, and adjusted framework conditions, according to the Network of European Railways (NEE) and the Association of Freight Wagon Holders in Germany (VPI). The two industry associations presented a corresponding study from TU Berlin today.
Transport by Rail Often Not Possible for Simple Technical Reasons
NEE Chairman Ludolf Kerkeling explained the focus: “Truck combinations are the key when significantly more goods are to be transported environmentally friendly by rail.” With the combination of truck tractors and the approximately 13-meter-long and usually three-axle semi-trailer, 72 percent of freight transport performance on Germany’s roads is currently achieved. VPI Chairman Malte Lawrenz lamented: “Since 95 percent of trailers cannot be lifted by cranes or reach stackers for simple technical reasons, they roll long distances entirely on the road, even though costs and environmental effects suggest a transport by rail in ‘combined transport’.”
The Semi-Trailer is a Success Story
From 2008 to January 2020, its share of the overall growing road transport has more than doubled. Trailer traffic offers a high degree of flexibility, so that more and more logistics processes are now aligned with this transport unit, while the also multimodal transportable container is relatively falling behind.
Kerkeling: “If we want to achieve the German and European climate goals, we need to bring the cargo onto the train, not replace the truck’s drive in long-distance transport.” Key solutions are special technical solutions and capacities for trailer transport by rail.
New Concept to Increase Transport Capacity on Trains
Currently, logistics companies in combined transport mainly rely on flat wagons, which can either transport containers and so-called swap bodies or, with the help of two pocket-like bulges, also trailers along with their axles. The Technical University of Berlin has outlined in a concept study how the trailer capacity per train can be increased by introducing a five-part connected, 77-meter-long articulated pocket wagon, without changing the process in the transshipment terminals. Instead of the usual 40, up to 45 trailers can be transported per complete train (maximum length 700 meters plus locomotive) in the future. The increased capacity of a complete train by more than 12 percent avoids up to 57.2 tons of greenhouse gas emissions on each average train journey.
Political Initiatives Necessary
At the same time, a rail-friendly design of state levies and further quickly effective initiatives are necessary to be able to load all trailers in the future. Today, about 95 percent of all trailers are not crane-compatible. Crane-compatible trailers have reinforced points on the outer frame (so-called gripping edges). They are therefore suitable for the usual transshipment between road and rail in terminals, where the trailer is loaded with the help of a crane or a reach stacker. NEE and VPI therefore see it as necessary that crane compatibility is mandated as a mandatory feature for newly procured trailers across Europe and that a funding for retrofitting brings movement into the market, where the shift to rail has so far only been possible under difficult and costly conditions.
Harmonization of Loading Units Enables Economies of Scale
© LKW Walter Internationale Transportorganisation AG
Lawrenz said: “Only a harmonization of loading units creates the necessary economies of scale in combined transport.” With the practical introduction of the new wagon concept, the efficiency of pure rail transport increases, allowing more trailers per train length, consuming less energy, and being more cost-effective in procurement than previous wagons.
The additional capacity needed to crane all trailers in combined transport requires an expansion of the terminal infrastructure in Germany, which is described in the second part of the study by the Technical University of Berlin. Kerkeling: “Through the parallel expansion of a nationwide terminal infrastructure with 50 locations, 50 percent of the transport performance of road freight transport can be effectively shifted to rail.”
Concept Enables Significant Reduction of Emissions
The transport sector in Germany faces the ambitious task of reducing its annual emissions of climate-relevant gases from currently 165 million tons of CO2 to no more than 98 million tons by 2030. Without targeted countermeasures, experts expect a further increase of nearly 6 million tons per year. The Ministry of Transport had attributed a savings effect of only two million tons of CO2 to rail and inland shipping combined in June 2019, but for unexplained reasons did not assume any traffic shift. The presented concept of four pillars is capable of achieving eight times this forecast. For road transport, CO2 emissions are already six times higher (112 g/tkm) than in rail freight transport (18 g/tkm). The value of 57.2 tons refers to a shifted transport distance of 480 kilometers.
https://www.tu.berlin https://www.netzwerk-bahnen.de https://www.vpihamburg.de/home
Photo: © Rangierbahnhof Maschen – Hamburger Abendblatt / LKW Walter Internationale Transportorganisation AG
