The FERRMED association has presented a study with a proposal for a new modal for rail freight. It claims that it is the only way to reach a 30% modal share for rail in the EU. The so-called +FIRRST system adopts a ‘Mobility as a Service’ (MaaS) model that integrates isolated truck semi-trailers, swap-bodies, and containers into a fast, flexible rail-road network. In that way, it hopes to align the railways with road transport’s adaptability to meet real-time demand across Europe.
FERRMED was joined in Brussels on 13 November by an alliance of stakeholders, who expressed their support for the +FIRRST system and the ambition for a pilot project.
The association’s presentation outlined a model for rail freight whereby more pass-through terminals along key corridors would allow for more flexible operations. The addition of trains that stop at intermediate pass-through terminals (SAI), besides just the start and end point of the journey, should help capture more freight in the catchment area. Shippers in the vicinity could
FERRMED also proposes the introduction of stop-at-request (SOR) trains, which could stop at a terminal to load a shipment even after the train has departed from its origin. Such developments are necessary, because it is impossible to capture the traffic required for a 30% modal share with just daily point-to-point trains, according to FERRMED.
A rather ambitious idea
Quite some steps need to be taken to boost the flexibility of rail freight by aligning it with the vision of FERRMED. One would need to develop a digital platform where shippers can register their exports, with origin and destination and desired time of departure or delivery. The shippers would then be presented with various options for transportation. Naturally, this would require far-reaching data sharing among companies.
With only 12.3% of European terminals currently being “pass-through”, hundreds of new terminals would need to be added: 425 to be precise. In total, the investments needed for the implementation of the plan would amount to 77.27 billion euros, on top of the already agreed investments of 481.9 billion euros in the EU’s Extended Core Network.
FERRMED believes that to be worth it: the presenters highlighted real-time multimodal coordination, dynamic routing and the stops-on-request as some of the operational benefits that would also facilitate rapid movement of intermodal loading units across EU hubs. It would also boost the average load, with SAI trains running at a load of 90 to 95%.
Pilot plans and complexities
By 2027, the stakeholders’ alliance wants to organise a pilot test along two major rail corridors:
- Rotterdam-Antwerp-Brussels-Lille-Paris-Dijon-Lyon-Marseille-Montpellier-Barcelona
- Duisburg-Düsseldorf-Köln-Koblenz-Luxembourg-Metz-Nancy-Dijon-Lyon-Marseille-Montpellier-Barcelona
Future expansions could also connect London, Germany, Poland, and southern France.
With all that said, some of the speakers also acknowledged the complexities associated with the project. For example, you would need a battery-powered or diesel locomotive to pull a train into terminals. Either the train itself would get traction from such equipment, or it would need to be decoupled and receive assistance from a suitable locomotive.
Then there is a large variety of stakeholders that would need to be involved, such as infrastructure managers for the allocation of train paths. That process would be complicated by the more flexible system. Terminal operators would need suitable equipment to facilitate the operational model. In terms of data sharing, the industry would need to take many steps in terms of standardisation and generating willingness to share potentially sensitive information.