Customized Approach to Greenhouse Gas Emissions Calculations in Railway Freight Transport

The topic of global warming is and will continue to be a crucial topic of this millennium. Freight transport, as a producer of greenhouse gas (hereinafter GHG) emissions, makes a significant contribution to the greenhouse effect. Large supply chains and large volumes of freight transport, which imply the production of significant volumes of GHG emissions, characterize the automotive industry (hereinafter AI). Thanks to these premises, it is necessary to seek and develop tools for reducing the volume of GHG emissions produced from the logistic activities of the AI, while maintaining the required level of logistic services. The assumptions for the calculation of GHG emissions from railway freight transport (hereinafter RFT) in the AI were identified through the use of semi-structured interviewing. Available railway freight GHG emission calculators were identified and analyzed from the perspective of suitability for the AI using a comparative content analysis. The main result of this manuscript is the proposal of a fully customized approach to GHG emission calculations in RFT for the AI. This approach was proposed, applied, and verified in the form of an interpretative case study. The use of this approach can be expected in support of logistic planning and decision making.

Comparative analysis of TAC on railway freight corridors between North Adriatic ports and Žilina

In recent years, European ports have, due to the increasing traffic between the Far East and Europe, become increasingly important. Large volumes of freight come to ships and it is important to have a link to the mainland via railway, which should have a functional overall system. This research compares three variants of possible routes for railway freight transport from the North Adriatic ports of Rijeka, Koper, and Trieste to Žilina, in the north of Slovakia. The methodology for calculating the minimum package of train access charges for the countries covered by these routes is presented. A comparative analysis of train access charges (TAC) for the minimum access package for the corridors between North Adriatic ports and City of Žilina has also been conducted. The result entailed in this research is the most favourable railway route for freight transport from the North Adriatic ports to the City of Žilina.

Analysis on the Integration Path of “One Belt And One Road” International Railway Transportation Rules

With the rapid growth of Sino-European international trade and the ongoing development of “One Belt And One Road”, it can be predicted that the status of railway transportation in the international logistics system will be greatly enhanced, which urges us to further study the rules of international railway freight transportation. At present, the pattern of the rules system of international freight transport by railway is the two conventions of the international cargo association and the international cargo contract. In addition, the existing rules system of freight transport by railway in China also has some problems such as being too administrative, which needs to be reformed urgently. By comparing the contents of the two conventions of international railway freight transport and listing the possible conflicts in the substantive laws of various countries involved in the conventions, this paper designs a set of dispute settlement mechanism for “One Belt And One Road” railway transport, and puts forward some suggestions on the integration of the rules of “One Belt And One Road” international railway freight transport.

Railway Sidings as an Important Part of the Railway Freight Transport Competitiveness as Well as the Realization of the Sustainable Transport Development Policy in Poland

The railway sidings handled by the freight transport are primordial operating points in relation to the freight transport as a whole. Every active railway siding constitutes a natural source for creation of a flow of loaded wagons where, in consequence, the transport becomes more frequent on the railway network and rare on the car one. The handled railway sidings influence the realization of the principles of the sustainable transport development policy. The number of the operated railway sidings measure, at the same time, the competitiveness of this transport branch in the Polish transportation system. In the article, the legal regulations, the current situation as well as the issues in relation to the functioning of the railway sidings in Poland are exposed. The propositions to make the railway sidings participate actively in Polish railway freight transport are also listed. They are particularly significant for the national transportation system.

Decision-making problems of recipients of railway freight transport outsourcing services

Przetrwanie na rynku i zdobycie przewagi konkurencyjnej wymagają efektywnego zarządzania gwarantującego sukces przedsiębiorstwu. Jedną z metod jest outsourcing. Określenie outsourcingu pochodzi z języka angielskiego i jest skrótem wyrażenia outside resource using oznaczającego wykorzystanie zasobów zewnętrznych. Outsourcing powinien się koncentrować na optymalizacji kosztów i zatrudnienia. Główną korzyścią powinno być dążenie do zwiększonej elastyczności struktur, dostęp do wykwalifikowanej kadry pracowniczej oraz innych zasobów przedsiębiorstwa. Niepowodzenia outsourcingu mogą wynikać zarówno ze strony przedsiębiorstwa zlecającego i świadczącego usługi transportu kolejowego ładunków. Badania empiryczne dotyczące problemów decyzyjnych odbiorców usług outsourcingu transportu kolejowego ładunków pozwoliły zidentyfikować korzyści, ryzyko, sposób komunikacji oraz problemy we współpracy partnerskiej.

Railway Freight Transport and Logistics: Methods for Relief, Algorithms for Verification and Proposals for the Adjustment of Tunnel Inner Surfaces

In Europe, the attention to efficiency and safety of international railway freight transport has grown in recent years and this has drawn attention to the importance of verifying the clearance between vehicle and lining, mostly when different and variable rolling stock types are expected. This work consists of defining an innovative methodology, with the objective of surveying the tunnel structures, verifying the clearance conditions, and designing a retrofitting work if necessary. The method provides for the use of laser scanner, thermocameras, and ground penetrating radar to survey the geometrical and structural conditions of the tunnel; an algorithm written by the authors permits to verify the clearances. Two different types of works are possible if the inner tunnel surfaces interfere with the profile of the rolling stock passing through: modification of the railroad track or modification of the tunnel intrados by mean milling of its lining. The presented case study demonstrates that the proposed methodology is useful for verifying compatibility between the design vehicle gauge and the existing tunnel intrados, and to investigate the chance to admit rolling stocks from different states. Consequently, the results give the railway management body a chance to perform appropriate measurements in those cases where the minimum clearance requirements are not achieved.