Challenges Raised by Freight for the Operations Planning of a Shared-Use Rail Network. A French Perspective

Operating rail infrastructures that are shared among different uses is complex. In Western Europe, the predominance of passenger traffic over freight has traditionally led to thorough scheduling of capacity use, with an increasing tendency to anticipate through the design of regular-interval timetables. The paper discusses the specific challenges posed by fitting freight into the timetabling process for a mixed-use rail network, based on current French experience. The analysis is carried out from the perspective of the infrastructure manager. It is mainly supported by the results of a series of about 30 interviews, carried out in 2012 and 2013 with the parties involved in the timetabling process. The paper provides a comprehensive understanding of the process in terms of organization, rules and practices, with an emphasis on the characteristics of freight traffic compared with passenger traffic. The author highlights three key management issues for the French infrastructure manager when dealing with freight: (1) the uncertainty surrounding the mid-long term development of the rail freight market at the national level; (2) the heterogeneity resulting both from the diversity of commodities and the profiles and behaviors of the various capacity applicants; (3) the volatility of some freight traffic resulting in a great amount of activity in the later stages of the timetabling process. If uncertainty about the future appears to be a highly sensitive issue in the French context, heterogeneity and volatility of freight traffic can be perceived as management challenges that may be experienced, to a greater or lesser degree, on other rail networks.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper was sponsored by TRB committee AR030 Railroad Operating Technologies.
• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Authors:
  • Morvant, Camille
• Conference:
  • Transportation Research Board 93rd Annual Meeting
  • Location: Washington DC
  • Date: 2014-1-12 to 2014-1-16
• Date: 2014

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures; Maps; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 14p
• Monograph Title: TRB 93rd Annual Meeting Compendium of Papers

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Freight traffic; Managerial personnel; Passenger traffic; Railroad transportation; Railroads; Scheduling; Timetables; Vehicle capacity
• Uncontrolled Terms: Shared use
• Geographic Terms: France
• Subject Areas: Freight Transportation; Operations and Traffic Management; Passenger Transportation; Railroads; I70: Traffic and Transport;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01516488
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: 14-2510
• Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
• Created Date: Feb 28 2014 1:32PM