Value chains and key operations in rail transportation

Question 1

What are the Main Players in a Railway-based Transport Solutions

Answer 1

Main Players in a Railway-based Transport Solutions

1. Infrastructure Operators: providing rails, electrification

a. DB Netze
b. Private EIU - Eisenbahn Infrastruktur Unternehmen

2. Rail Companies:

a. Public Rail Companies: DB Cargo
b. Non-Public owned Rail Companies

3. Operators - the carriers

a. Combined Transport Operators
b. Car-Trains Operators e.g. Transport of cars DB Autozug
c. Trailer Transport Operators

4. Terminal Operators: lifting of container from wagon to the yard - Multimodal or Trimodal terminal

Question 2

What are the Business Characteristics of railway transports

Answer 2

Business Characteristics of railway transports

1. Internal competition: private EVUs have a weak market position due to low access to resources like networks, energy. they can only operate pre-and-post haul transports
2. Cost structures: low transparency in cost, new technologies are difficult to calculate and the problem of backloads
3. Personnel: expensive and organized due to strong unions
4. Capacity: 60% of transport performance will be produced by 25% of network capacity

Question 3

What are the Main Product Groups of Rail-based logistics

Answer 3

Main Product Groups of Rail-based logistics

1. Wagon-load traffic; Block trains, Single wagon load
2. Part load
3. Combined traffic
4. Multimodal traffic

Question 4

What are the Gauge Tracks and the strength of the European Rail Network

Answer 4

Gauge Tracks and the strength of the European Rail Network

• Standard gauge = 1435mm (Germany and Most European states)
• Broad gauge > 1435mm (Portugal, Spain, Finland, Baltic States)
• Narrow gauge < 1435mm (Private and industrial railways)
• Total length of the Rail network about 35000km in Germany
• Electrified Railway lines - 20000km in Germany
• Loading Dimension: Germany- height 4.65m, width 3.15m, International - 4.28m x 3.15m