Energy efficiency assessment of rail freight transport: Freight tram in Berlin

Freight tram systems can potentially reduce commercial road vehicle use and, consequently, reduce congestion, accidents, air pollution, noise levels, and road maintenance costs. This paper explores the new application for the urban rail system as a sustainable solution for urban freight distribution. A significant problem in using rail for urban freight is determining the most efficient tram route, in terms of related costs and accessibility for the distribution centers and end-users. The study takes a systematic approach, based on identifying scenarios, existing tramlines, traveled distances, and time durations, and appraises the scheme through an energy consumption analysis to assess a hypothetical freight tram scheme. In a German case study in Berlin, a freight tram system delivered the goods of five delivery companies from their logistics hubs in the Pankow district to a micro depot instead of to the trucks. Three different path scenarios from logistics hubs to the micro depot were developed, to make comparisons based on energy consumption. Freight tram implementation in Berlin (compared to the current situation) resulted in a reduction of more than 7 tons of CO2 emissions per year, and 60 road-vehicle-kilometers per day, in exchange for 275 MJ of daily electric consumption.