Lecture 3 - Challenges and Solution Approaches Flashcards
Technical Challenges
Improved energy efficiency, noise reduction, pollutant reduction, more (freight) transport on rails, driverless driving
Share of rail passenger transport in the world
China: 35 % Japan: 30 % Switzerland: 25 % Europe: 6-12 % (Germany 9.6 %) USA: 1 %
Freight transport types
Combined transport carrying entire lorries, combined transport with containers, trainload transport, wagonload transport
Long Transport Times between Road and Rail freight transport
Reason 1: Train journeys must be registered some days prior to departure in order to integrate them in schedule
Reason 2: Since passenger and freight transport share many sections of the line, the freight train often has to wait at passing sidings (for the passenger train to pass it)
Reason 3: Laborious train formation
Reason 4: It’s cheap to use lorries
Name some technical problems that hinder interoperability of railways in Europe.
The European countries have different track gauges, different electric power systems and different train protection systems
Solution Concepts for the Railway
- Automated shunting (including automatic coupling, brake test)
- Automated loading technologies
- Standardized train control and train protection technology in Europe
- Europe-wide certification (as for lorries)
- Separate passenger and freight transport, dissolve bottlenecks (Build more tracks for the freight transport)
Main problem freight transport
Traffic increases constantly reaching the technical limitations, congested roads, saturated railways
Aims of the coalition agreement of the Federal Government of March 2018
Overriding aim: Comply with the Paris climate protection targets for 2050
Aims: Transfer of commuted traffic from road to rail, double the number of passengers by 2030, more freight transport by rail by 2030
Measures: Expansion of the freight rail network for train lengths up to 740m by 2020, increase in the share of electrified lines from 60% to 70% by 2025, promotion of automation of freight transport and autonomous driving
Expectation: improved service and reliability, more innovations
Track Gauges in Europe
Russian Gauge: 1524 mm
Irish: 1600 mm
Iberian: 1668 mm
Standard: 1435 mm
Political Aspects - Costs
Corporate-economic aspects which affects customers are predominant
National economic considerations
Unfair competition caused by different consideration of transport charges