1. Home
  2. TRID
  3. View Record
https://trb-annual-meeting.nationalacademies.org/registration

IMPROVEMENT OF THE QUALITY AND PRODUCTIVITY OF FREIGHT TRAFFIC BY CENTRALIZED MANAGEMENT AND OPERATING CONTROL CENTRES

The increasing requirements imposed by economy on rail freight traffic are obliging the railway to attach ever-increasing importance to the quality of the transport service offered. In the face of increasing competition, transport development must be attended by increased productivity and profitability. The objectives for the development and planning of production must be established on the basis of customer requirements. In this connection, data processing in conjunction with automation opens the way to new forms of operating and to an improvement in the quality of transport, while reducing costs at the same time. These advantages have led the German Federal Railway to prepare a concept relating to an "Integrated system of transport control", to supervise and direct the progress of transit with effect from dispatch of a consignment until arrival at destination, incorporating certain operative tasks. In the first stage of this integrated transport control, it is intended to introduce the charging and accounting of freight traffic, a system of information and advice concerning vehicles, as well as supervision of train running extending to the entire network and taking in important passenger and freight trains. Within the overall framework of freight traffic, the marshalling yards, their output capacity and their situation on the network, play a decisive part in the quality of the freight transport. For this reason, it is necessary to include the increase of marshalling yard output in any attempt to improve the quality of transport. In this field special cybernetics measures in the form of optimising processes must be applied, particularly when any action is taken. The report demonstrates the relationships which exist between a centralised control of freight traffic and the operating control centres when seen as modern railway operating systems. The operating control centre is both a technical electronic processing centre and an operating centre (supervision, control), a section of which is devoted to the direct control of operations in a largely automated marshalling yard. The centralised control and automation of freight traffic in marshalling yards leads to increased output of about 20%, stress being laid on the operations and the taking of action at the operating control centres. By making use of the installations and methods quoted in the report, it is possible to give the leadership a clear idea of the transport operations for planning and operational purposes.

  • Supplemental Notes:
    • Presented at Fourth International Symposium on Railroad Cybernetics, AAR/UIC/IRCA, 21-26 April 1974, Washington, D.C. This paper was also published in the November-December, 1973 issue of Rail International, which is available from E.S.L.
  • Corporate Authors:

    International Union of Railways

    14 rue Jean Rey
    75015 Paris,   France 
  • Authors:
    • SITZMANN, E
  • Publication Date: 1974-4

Media Info

  • Features: Figures; References;
  • Pagination: 7 p.

Subject/Index Terms

Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 00053793
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Source Agency: International Union of Railways
  • Report/Paper Numbers: Paper
  • Files: TRIS
  • Created Date: Apr 17 1974 12:00AM