On October 25th, the third day of the 11th International Trade Fair for Road, Rail and Traffic Management “Infrastructure 2013” organized by MT Targi Polska, a conference titled “1500 m trains: how to effectively compete with road transport. Infrastructural, technical and economic conditions for the operation of long trains” will take place. During the conference, experts will outline the conditions for implementing the 1500 m standard on the most important railway main lines in Poland.
Freight rail is facing the challenge of improving its efficiency to effectively compete with road transport. According to experts, reducing unit transport costs can be achieved by lengthening freight trains. In Poland, the current standard is 600-meter-long trains, while the European Union advocates for a change to 750 meters. However, expert opinions point to the advisability of introducing trains up to 1500 meters long, following the example of countries such as the USA or Russia.
– Rail freight carriers are facing a tough competitive struggle from road transport. The share of rail in freight transport has fallen from about 60% to less than 20%. The railway should react by increasing the permissible length of trains to 1500 meters, which would significantly reduce unit transport costs and thus enable the recovery of old clients and the acquisition of new ones – emphasizes Rafał Milczarski, President of the Association of Independent Railway Carriers.
EU guidelines
This concept is also in line with the European Union’s strategy, whose guidelines assume an increase in rail freight transport to as much as 50% by 2050. For years, organizations such as FERRMED, a multi-sector non-profit organization founded in Brussels at the initiative of the private sector to improve the competitiveness of European enterprises, have been strongly lobbying for the introduction of the 1500 m solution in the European Union. Representatives of the European Commission also recognize the advantages of such a solution, including lower transport costs and the minimization of environmental pollution.
A challenge for infrastructure
The permissible length of a freight train results from the technical conditions of the line on which the journey will be made and should not exceed the shortest track. Therefore, to make it possible to operate 1500-meter-long trains on the most important railway main lines in Poland, the infrastructure must be adapted to allow such long trains to pass each other. Expert opinions suggest that this can be achieved relatively cheaply by building long passing loops on the route, i.e., additional main tracks or sidings. Such a solution would avoid costly modernizations of existing stations. Additionally, it would be necessary to adapt legal regulations to ensure that the highest safety standards are met. Traffic reorganization would also have to be carried out so that train movement on all routes remains undisturbed.
However, the implementation of this concept involves many challenges. You can learn about how to deal with them at the industry conference organized by the Railway Institute and the Association of Independent Railway Carriers during the “Infrastructure” 2013 Fair at the MT Polska Trade and Congress Center at 56c Marsa St. in Warsaw. Admission for listeners is free, but prior registration for the fair is required. More information at www.infrastruktura.info