Analytical and simulation based methods for assessing measures and technologies capable to improve operation in railway freight terminals

The topic of freight transport by rail is a complex theme and, in recent years, a main issue of European policy. The legislation evolution, the White Paper 2011 and many research projects promoted by EU Commission, e.g. Capacity4Rail (C4R), have demonstrated the European intention to re-launch this sector. One of the main objectives of C4R Project is to improve the performances of railway freight transport to reduce the market share of road freight transport. In this context railway freight terminals play a primary role for the supply chain: they are the connection among the various transport modes and the nodal points where the freight are handled, stored and transferred or shunted to final customer. Objects of this paper are methods and main results achieved by the research group of DICEA within the C4R Project. The main objective is to contribute to the increase of rail freight traffic through the development of future freight terminals, based both on innovative operational measures (e.g. horizontal and parallel handling, faster and fully direct handling) and on innovative technologies (e.g. automatic system for horizontal and parallel handling, automated gate for data exchange, driverless locomotives). The research work focusses on the assessment of potential effects of these innovations in railway freight terminals. Operational measures and technologies compose different scenarios, to evaluate by a methodological approach including both analytical methods and simulation models. The output of this assessment methods are key performance indicators (KPIs), e.g. total/partial transit time, setup according to analysed terminal typologies and related to different aspects (e.g. management, operation and organization). Finally, in addition to illustrated methodological framework, some results on selected case studies include the intermodal Munich-Riem rail to road freight terminal (Germany), the Hallsberg marshalling yard (Sweden) and the intermodal Principe Felipe rail-sea freight terminal in Valencia port (Spain).