A Japanese Shinkansen E3 series passenger train, previously withdrawn from service, has been completely converted and refurbished to transport freight. The weekday service is scheduled to begin in March, operating between Tokyo and Morioka, a distance of well over 500 kilometres.
The 394 seats in seven carriages have been removed, while non-slip flooring and load securing systems have been installed. In total, this new configuration will enable the transport of up to 1,000 parcels, mainly perishables – seafood, medical supplies and ornamental fish. Loading and unloading operations will be carried out in railway depots located near stations.
Japan Rail is now eyeing the production of a cargo version of the Shinkansen while increasing the number of connections. The group highlights several factors in favour of its development: the shortage of truck drivers, the growing demand for rapid deliveries of perishable goods and the pressure to reduce CO2 emissions.
Amazon experience in Europe
In Europe, the latest attempt to incorporate high-speed rail into parcel delivery operations came in May last year when Amazon began using SNC’s Paris-Lyon passenger service to transport 2,000 parcels on a daily basis. Trains cover the distance in less than two and a half hours rather than the eight hours taken by truck. Amazon’s premier experience of high-speed rail took place in Italy, having been a customer on state-owned logistics group FS’ Mercitalia Fast service between Naples and Bologna. But this was discontinued in November 2022.
Euro Carex project
Going back a couple of decades, Europe had high hopes for this type of transport for freight. Euro Carex (CArgo Rail EXpress) was a European express rail freight network project that aimed to use existing high-speed lines during off-peak passenger traffic hours (mainly at night) with trains adapted for parcel transport. It was pitched as an alternative to air and road freight over distances of between 200 and 800 km.
In March 2012, a test took place with an all-freight TGV leaving Lyon Saint-Exupéry Airport with a capacity to 120 tonnes of cargo (the equivalent of seven semi-trailers), arriving at St Pancras Station in London in the early hours of the following morning. The itinerary included a stop at Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle Airport to demonstrate the ability to take on additional cargo.
The 900 kilometres were covered at 270 kilometres per hour for two-thirds of the journey, nearly four times the speed of a conventional freight train. However, despite bringing together a number of major public and private players – Paris-CDG, Lyon and Amsterdam airports, SNCF, Europorte and potential future customers such as Air France KLM Cargo, UPS, Chronopost International and FedEx Express, the ambitious project was ultimately shelved due to the cost of development and the volumes required to reach the break-even point.
