Modern urban logistics assumes the reduction of transport traffic within city centers by integrating the management of transport systems. This necessitates the search for new transport solutions included in the logistical management of transport traffic in cities.
One such path is the idea of using existing rail transport infrastructure, on which passenger trams travel daily, moving freely in city centers where access for other vehicles is restricted. This allows for the consideration of the concept of using rail transport infrastructure to implement the historically known idea of the cargo tram. This article presents the concept of a cargo tram in terms of urban logistics within integrated transport traffic management.
Adopting the principle that “urban logistics is a way of logistical thinking in the field of competing functional requirements for limited downtown space resources” [4], the problem of transport in limited urban space must be isolated. This requires considering the issue of optimizing the flow of transport means within the existing urban communication infrastructure. This task requires careful studies of the conditions for congestion in the city area with a strict division into individual districts. A significant feature of city centers is congestion caused by an suboptimal street network scheme and heavy road traffic, both purposeful (to places in the center) and transit. This causes significant difficulties in supplying customers both in the city center itself and on its outskirts. This problem requires moving transit traffic outside the city center or finding another logistical solution for the task of transporting goods through city centers. This involves finding an effective means of transport integrated into the existing structure of urban communication infrastructure, logistically integrated into a coherent system of distribution and transport traffic control in the city. Such a possibility is provided by the creation of an Urban Integrated Logistics Center.
This allows for the optimization of the transport task when supplying customers in the city area. A significant gap in urban communication infrastructure is the lack of use of the existing rail communication network in carrying out transport tasks in the city center and its area. The task of transport to and from the center and within its area can be effectively handled by a cargo tram.
Features of the cargo tram
Advantages:
1.1. Eco-friendliness, modern propulsion, and track infrastructure allow for the introduction of a transport tram into the city center, where a significant limitation for carrying out transport tasks is significant congestion due to pedestrian traffic intensity and nighttime silence.
1.2. Cost-effectiveness, the only significant expense associated with implementing a transport tram into the urban rail rolling stock infrastructure is the tram itself. This requires building new rolling stock or adapting existing ones.
1.3. Flexibility, transport tasks can be performed on demand as well as according to a set schedule.
Disadvantages
1.4. Strict attachment to the existing tram network infrastructure.
1.5. High susceptibility to traffic delays due to serial movement on the track.
1.6. Travel frequency strictly assigned to passenger tram traffic.
A feature of this system is the risk of causing congestion in the public transport and road traffic schedule. It is then required to synchronize the time of goods collection by all customers on the cargo tram’s route.
The article comes from the journal “Logistyka” 2002/6.