Preamble
Hinterland connectivity is one of the most competitive distinguishing factors for today’s sea- and dry ports. Therefore innovations with a clear focus on autonomous and emission free port operations are crucial to safeguard a prosperous future of global ports. In this context the German Federal Government set up a program to support innovative port solutions and thus supports the project “Shunt-E 4.0 - Autonomous zero emission shunting processes in port and hinterland railway operations.” This practical research program will be conducted together with Bremen’s port railway which is regarding to the modal share of rail hinterland transport the leading European port railway system. Within the presentation the overall objectives ambitions and expected outcomes shall be presented at Panamas PIANC World Congress.
Background
Port railway operations today are comparably complex processes. The general process which involves different partners like railway undertakings, shunting operators, infrastructure providers, energy providers, terminals operators, port management organizations etc. is on the example of a typical European railway system (Bremen’s port railway) divided in various steps as follows:
- Separation of main-line locomotives after train arrival in the port area
- Transport of train section or wagons with shunting locomotives towards forwarding groups and later on to the terminals
- Terminals have do conduct control and supervision works on the train and on the cargo (i.e. seal-check)
As a consequence of these steps the first cargo movements can and do only start hours after train arrival in the port area. A comparable long procedure is (still) needed after completion of train loading process. Trains with import goods need to have specific brake tests and load control works with following shunting processes. Just by these rules they remain in the port area for an average of two hours before they can start towards the national and European hinterland destinations. As a result port railway operation today is much more complex than truck and barge processes. The reasons are mainly self-made rules and regulations by the industry sector.
Need for action more than obvious
Innovations in cargo rail sector are rare, even if good ideas do exist. Many previous projects on automatization and process optimization failed or were stopped by various reasons. In fact technical solutions like automatic clutches, automatic brake tests, remote train control systems, automatic load controls, obstacle detection and many more rail related optimization measures are technically feasible and were successfully tested in the past. But, they didn’t make it to the broader market. As a consequence rail transport of goods until today is in most regions of the world very traditional and old-fashioned. Especially in comparison to truck transport the rail sector is falling back. Ongoing innovative projects like truck-Platooning or autonomous trucks endanger the system advantage of rail and thus the transport-political perspective of rail transport. If global ports want to improve railway transport they strongly need innovative port railway systems and processes.
Long-term perspective autonomous emission free shunting processes in port railways
With the support of Germans Ministry of Transport Bremen’s port railway has been selected as a test bed for autonomous emission free shunting processes as an example for general port railway systems. On Bremen’s port railway today various competing companies offer shunting services to the railway operators within Bremerhaven port area. It’s their task to move the train sections and wagons between the forwarding groups and the terminals. The main-line transport to and from the national and European hinterland is conducted by currently about 80 different companies (Railway undertakings). These companies also take care that enough train drivers are in place at the time when they are needed for the port leave. The railway undertakings are the purchasers of shunting services. The aim of an totally autonomous shunting operation can and will be reached only with intermediate steps like process automatization. The expected effects of autonomous emission free shunting operations to date are the following:
- Simplification of operational processes
- Avoidance of empty-drives
- Reduction of the overall shunting stock (Savings of about 30 percent are expected)
- Avoidance of communication-interfaces
- Optimization of infrastructure use with savings on future investments
- Reduction of operational efforts and costs (on the locomotive and in the offices) through reduction of personnel
- Safety-Improvements
- Disruptions reduction in port railway operation
Relevance for the global port community
“Shunt-E 4.0 - Autonomous zero emission shunting processes in port and hinterland railway operations” is of high relevance to the global port community as it combines the necessary innovation approach for future port development with a sustainable greenports strategy.