By submitting this form, you are agreeing to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Rail freight has a major role in global freight transport system. In Europe, Its environmental friendliness provides additional value by helping Europe in reducing carbon emission targets. Each freight train removes ~50 -70 trucks from the roads, reducing carbon emissions, traffic congestion and improving safety.
One of the major challenges for rail freight market in the US is substitution of coal by natural gas in power generation. Rail transport has always lagged behind road transport due to first and last mile transport often required in rail freight movement.
Low oil prices over the past 3 years have further dented the growth of rail freight whereas making truck freight even more competitive. The high energy tax burden on the rail freight in the US and Europe is a major challenge to rail freight market. The advent of new digital marketplaces, fuel economy improvement technologies and ADAS have made road transport even more shipper friendly.
So, is the growth period for rail freight over? Well. Not exactly. The system saves the US, billions of dollars through reduced energy consumption and reduced air pollution.
The rail freight system needs to improve its processes and make it shipper-friendly. The deployment of digital technology on rolling stock will do just that. It will make it possible to enhance the reliability and safety of operations while at the same time making them more transparent.
In the US, severe winter weather and flooding on parts of its ~52,000 route-km network contributed to a decline in overall rail freight volumes.
In the UK, a consortium of business interests has called on the UK government to immediately start a programme for improving rail electrification to help meet the target of decarbonising the railway by 2040.
TransmetriQ, a division of Railinc, has announced a significant advancement in cargo tracking and ETA services. The Rail Management System (RMS) from TransmetriQ helps shippers better manage their freight rail operations. Customized, accurate, and near-real-time data are combined with features like electronic billing in this solution.
RMS was created by Railinc to provide a one-stop shop for rail shippers to manage and evaluate their rail operations. It offers near-real-time visibility and fully customisable analytics, making it simple for shippers to optimise their rail operations.
RMS is a TMS designed specifically for rail shippers by rail specialists. It’s the result of a cross-functional team of product, technology, design, and data science specialists putting in long hours of development time.
The user-friendly RMS interface makes migrating from other systems a breeze, allowing shippers to take advantage of RMS’s insights right now. The TransmetriQ team collaborated with a number of shippers from diverse industries to determine the necessary components for RMS, as well as to plan for future enhancements.
RMS will soon feature rate and route optimization capabilities, a fleet management module, and further artificial intelligence and machine learning-based applications. Rather than simply alerting shippers to concerns, RMS will recommend optimization options for them using artificial intelligence.
RMS, as the most sophisticated and adaptable rail freight management system available, enables shippers to make more accurate real-time choices. With these key features, it enables more efficient freight management and simplified freight rail shipping:
A nationwide consultation on how to increase freight to relieve traffic congestion and cut carbon emissions has been launched by the transition team for Great British Railways, the new overall body for network and operations management in the UK.
A call for evidence has been issued by the self-described future visionary of British railways to gather opinions from industry on how to enhance the quantity of freight transported by train. The Great British Railways Transition Team (GBRTT) is seeking opinions and suggestions on how to increase rail freight from as many stakeholders as possible, both inside and outside the rail and logistics industries.
By establishing a clear government objective for growth, a freight growth target will function as a spur for investment in the rail freight sector. By highlighting the importance of freight on the rail network, it will encourage patrons and investors in the industry. This will lessen the number of lorries on the road and help the nation achieve its lofty greenhouse gas reduction targets.
There would be fewer road truck journeys annually if rail freight volumes triple over the next few years, as the GBRTT claims modelling indicates may be necessary to fulfil the net-zero targets. A decarbonized logistics system relies heavily on freight trains, but there is still room for the railroad to go further.
To assist fulfil net zero obligations, they might need to triple the volume of freight transported by rail. Additionally, this would improve the economy and reduce traffic congestion for vehicles.
This request for information will aid in determining how much of the present and future freight market demand could be satisfied by rail. Before taking the helm, they want to know how they can increase the sector’s sustainability and efficiency as well as how to reach out to new clients.
A new rail freight route connecting DP World London Gateway to Maritime’s intermodal freight facility in Tamworth has been announced by UK logistics company Maritime Transport (BIFT). The new service began with a total transport capacity of 87TEU in each direction and will be run by GB Railfreight (GBRf).
The new service began with a total transport capacity of 87TEU in each direction and will be run by GB Railfreight (GBRf). Eight intermodal services are being run by GBRf into the rail terminals of Maritime in Manchester, Wakefield, the East Midlands Gateway, and BIFT.
This will be Maritime Transport’s third service into the London Gateway logistics centre of DP World. According to John Trenchard, UK Commercial and Supply Chain Director at DP World London Gateway, more customers will be able to take advantage of quick, dependable, and adaptable connections to global supply chains and markets.
Additionally, the launch of a new daily connection will result in a significant reduction in CO2 emissions, saving over 4 million road miles per year in an increasingly congested road network, according to Maritime Transport, which acquired BIFT in 2014 as part of the acquisition deal with Roadways Container Logistics.
According to a statement, reduced turnaround times, new services, and ongoing investments in container handling equipment have all contributed to the terminal’s increasing box throughput over time.
In Lithuania, VTG launched a rail logistics business. The operating business of the new company has been given to Violeta Vlasoviene, Managing Director of VTG Rail Logistics Baltics. Full-service rail forwarder VTG Rail Logistics Baltics offers cutting-edge custom solutions and global access.
VTG is able to optimise and harmonise its national and international leasing and rail logistics activities in the Baltic region by integrating this new facility into its current pan-European network.
Along with access to the Baltic Sea region via the port cities of Klaipeda, Riga, and Tallinn (Muuga), Lithuania also plays a significant role in transit traffic headed towards Scandinavia and the nearby northern regions, providing VTG with additional lucrative opportunities.
In order to take advantage of the enormous potential for multimodal traffic that exists in this market, VTG Rail Logistics Baltics is actively positioning itself with a 360-degree solution portfolio that includes a full range of products and services.
VTG provides a wide range of services throughout the whole transport chain and is renowned for its remarkable experience in multimodal logistics and rail transport.
The percentage of semi-trailers that can be craned increases from 5% to 95% thanks to their r2L technology (also known as “roadrailLink ”). This innovation can be used on trailers that transport fuels, liquids, and perishable commodities.
For UK logistics services, Varamis introduced a fully electric goods train. Following the successful conclusion of test activities intended to confirm the operation’s reliability and viability, the launch will take place.
The new service, aimed at express shipments, shops, and third-party delivery services, is scheduled to run between Scotland and the Midlands from Monday through Friday. The delivery of consumer items the day after will be the main focus.
Several fully electrified 4-car passenger trains were converted to haul goods by Eversholt Rail. These trains were originally built for passenger use.
In order to run the goods service, Network Rail provided the operating permits, agreements, and train routes. Together with Network Rail, Varamis Rail, the newest train operator in the UK, is eager to promote the long-term advantages that rail transport brings to the UK economy.
The demand for a more ecologically friendly method of transporting their packages, goods, or light goods around the UK has increased due to the rise in online shopping and home deliveries in recent years; one such method is the electrified rail network.
The new entirely electric service, which will act as an eco-friendly substitute for road transport, is anticipated to help the UK government meet its goal of net zero emissions.It will allow access to urban rail stations that are situated right in the middle of cities.
China has intensified efforts to integrate all national ports and diversify their business growth model. It wants to enhance their earning ability via measures such as sea-rail transport, intelligent port development and further expanding connectivity with markets related to the Belt and Road Initiative.
The goods exported via rail from China to Europe have expanded from electronic products, printers and laptops to now include food, wine, apparel and even cars.
China is also looking to promote technical innovation in rail freight market.
For example, a Chinese rail company has started selling low-emissions freight containers that maintain low temperature doing away with fuel-generated refrigeration. The invention, utilizing phase-change materials has the potential to drive down emissions produced in cooling rail and road freight containers.
The rail freight volume remained very much stable during 2000-2013, as compared to road freight which grew by 7% during the same period. The overall share of rail freight in Europe came down to ~17% in 2013 from ~20% in 2000.
The road freight share, on the other hand, grew from ~72% to ~75% in the same duration. The rail freight market across the globe is in dire need of better policies supporting the growth of railroad and intermodal freight transport.
Estonian operator Operail carried ~76, 000 TEU in 2019, +46% YOY increase in TEU and ~100+% increase in containerised freight tonnage YOY. In the Netherlands, rail freight transport saw an increase in kilometres increase in KMs in 2019.
Rail freight transport carried out 9.8 million train kilometers, +5% YOY. This increase can be attributed to Havenspoorlijn, a 40km railway line connecting the various yards of the port of Rotterdam.
The global rail freight market is estimated at $220B-$250B annually.
So far, there is no clear global leader in the rail freight market but there are multiple regional leaders. In recent years, trends in infrastructure charges, especially compared with other modes of transport, have significantly impacted the competitiveness of rail freight operators.
The market dominance of rail freight operators is more regionalized now than ever. For example, in the US, BNSF Railway and Union Pacific Railroad have a strong presence in the Western US, and CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern are predominant in the Eastern US. This market has also seen frequent mergers to reduce competition and maintain healthy freight rates over the past 2 decades.
In 2019, BNSF reported a decline in freight for all major segments, including industrial products (-3%), consumer products (-5%) , agricultural products and coal. BNSF invested a total of $3.6B on capital projects in 2019, the majority of which was allocated towards maintenance and network expansion.