RETRACK - Reorganisation of Transport Networks by Advanced Rail Freight Concepts
Overview
Background & policy context:
The RETRACK project will support the Commission's aspirations to induce a sustainable modal shift of freight traffic from road to rail to achieve a market share of 15% by 2020. This aspiration is also supported by the European Rail Research Advisory Council's (ERRAC) declared aim of bolstering rail's market share of freight to a similar level.
Objectives:
The RETRACK project applies an innovative rail freight service concept to the movement of rail freight across Europe. This is achieved through the design, development and implementation of a commercial trans-European rail freight service along the rail corridor between Rotterdam (Netherlands) and Constanza (Romania) on the Black Sea.
The project aims to secure a significant modal shift of cargo from road to rail and to create an effective and scalable rail freight corridor between high demand regions in Western Europe and new high growth regions in Central and Eastern Europe. The project will look to develop links with other emergent corridors from the TEN-T network as well as those assessed in the REORIENT and TREND projects.
Overall, the RETRACK project addresses the issues arising from transforming vision into practice and will establish a clear demonstration to the rail freight and wider logistics industry that pan-European continental rail freight can be competitive, reliable and value for money.
Methodology:
Achieving RETRACK project's main objective will encompass the following processes:
- determining of types of barriers that obstruct the supply of competitive rail intermodal service in corridors of operations;
- removing/circumventing existing constraints through technological innovation, efficient operations and inputs from scientific research;
- supplying the energy-efficient competitive rail service that enhances competitiveness of transferred goods;
- determining how the barriers hindering deployment of new operations systems for train path allocation could be tackled;
- applying innovative rail vehicles and cargo transfer technologies for transfer of containers, swap bodies and trailers along the RETRACK corridors;
- facilitating safe transfer of cargo documentation to all supply chain parties by employing functionalities of an ICT platform;
- supply of high-quality rail service by deploying innovative and cost-effective rolling stock;
- removing/circumventing existing constraints as well as facilitating opportunities related to the applied train control- and command systems throughout the corridor, including those parts covered by the new ERTMS-system;
- applying innovative operations planning, scheduling, and routing management techniques for supply of high-quality rail service;
- streamlining the rail goods flows by dealing with market-related and legislative constrains such as working time limitations, shortages of qualified personnel, and traffic hindrances;
- devising strategies for shifting considerable goods volumes from road to the RETRACK rail corridors;
- compressing the noise/emissions/vibrations and accident occurrence during the project's duration by transferring sizable goods volumes from road to RETRACK-served intermodal rail corridors;
- devising business models for until 2015 market entrenchment of the RETRACK operators, and attaining a competitive level of financial profitability and returns on investments;
- establishing a joint venture between rail operators serving the RETRACK international corridors and strategic alliances with shippers, other transport suppliers (for instance, shipping lines) and logistical intermediaries for long-term access to large goods repositories.
Share this page