Study: Trucks on rails – ELANS, the AutoBahn of the future?
What would it be like to travel longer distances by truck without having to steer? And in an environmentally friendly, cost-neutral way and at an average travel speed that is a third higher than possible on highways? These were some of the questions that led to the ELANS project. ELANS is an acronym for the Truck Traffic on New Rails development project. In a preliminary study, the technical and economic feasibility of this new transport system has now been investigated using a section of the A6 highway that is heavily loaded with freight traffic as an example.
The project was launched in Munich in July 2014 with funding from the Bavarian State Ministry of the Interior, Building and Transport. Under the leadership of the Institute for Applied Logistics (IAL) at the University of Applied Sciences Würzburg-Schweinfurt and the initiator and idea generator of the project, Dipl.-Ing. Wilhelm Köhler, a consortium of experts from science and practice began work. These include the freight forwarders Geis Eurocargo GmbH and Gauff Rail Engineering from Nuremberg, the CERSS Competence Center for Railway Safety Technology from Dresden in cooperation with the Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg, as well as SPL Powerlines Germany GmbH from Forchheim.
The idea behind ELANS
The basic idea of ELANS is to shift freight traffic from highly congested highways to completely new freight rail systems to be built alongside the highways. These new railroad lines are independent of the existing DB network and, by using the latest loading technology and automating operations as far as possible, achieve a significantly higher average travel speed compared to the highway. By positioning the loading stations next to selected highway junctions, the regions along the route can also be served as before.
Traffic measurement as a basis
The reference section for the ELANS concept is the almost 200-kilometer section of the A6 freeway between the Nürnberg-Süd junction and the Walldorf junction. As a first step, a two-week electronic traffic count was carried out in order to obtain basic traffic data on toll truck traffic on this section. The data collected was then compared with the data from the permanent counting stations in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg and extrapolated for the year 2030 using existing expert reports and studies on future traffic development. The results formed the basis for the design of the system.
Routing and operating concept
For the study, a railroad line running parallel to the A6, including all construction measures, was designed and calculated as part of the project. A total of four intermediate stations (on average every 35 kilometers) are planned between the Nuremberg-South and Walldorf terminus stations, which offer the possibility of individual access and egress. Based on the route, an operating and safety concept was developed that meets the high demands of ELANS in terms of availability, train frequency and travel speed. ELANS rail operations are driverless, using the latest standards and proven control and safety technology.
The advantages of ELANS
At present, the work to determine the technical and economic feasibility of ELANS is well advanced. The projected traffic volume of HGVs subject to tolls for 2030, which could be advantageously shifted to the ELANS system based on the travel distances determined, is around 87,000 HGVs per week. With the measured average travel distance of 135 km per truck, this results in an average travel time advantage of five minutes. This already includes arrival and departure, loading and unloading processes and waiting times. For every four kilometers that ELANS is used, there is a time saving of one minute compared to a regular freeway journey – regardless of weather and traffic-related delays. The time spent on the train can also be used as a break in driving time within the meaning of the regulation on driving and rest times within the European Community.
The costs
In terms of costs, ELANS aims to avoid an additional financial burden for users. It is planned that the fee incurred for using the system will be covered on average by the savings achieved (e.g. in tolls, fuel consumption, wear-related costs). Corresponding scenarios for the economic operation of the system are currently being developed. The main focus is on investigating possible public-private partnerships (PPP).
Research into user acceptance
However, the feasibility of the system also depends in particular on user acceptance. Alongside political objectives and social will, this is crucial.
In addition to all potential framework variables, it is important to find out how potential customers of the system rate it. Freight forwarders, associations and service providers from the industry are therefore being asked for their support in the form of participation in an acceptance survey. Participants will have the opportunity to find out more details about the ELANS concept.
Contact:
Institute for Applied Logistics (IAL)
Location Würzburg Münzstr. 12 / 97070 Würzburg (Post) Münzstr. 19 / 97070 Würzburg (Visitors)
Phone: 49 (0)931/3511-6350 E-Mail: ial@fhws.de
ELANS
Prof. Dr. Christian Bauer (Project Manager)
Peter Walker
Phone: 49 (0)931 3511-8552
Another interesting approach to the logistics of the future can be found in the article Physical Internet.
Image sources: Teaser, © geralt, License CC0 Public Domain; Article image © ELANS