THE FREIGHT RAILWAYS with proposals for single wagon traffic

In the discussions on the federal budget for 2024, THE FREIGHT RAILWAYS proposed nine measures aimed at reducing typical infrastructure problems in single wagon traffic and strengthening service in rural areas.

(Berlin) When the term “small shipment sizes” is used, the rail freight transport industry refers to one or a few freight cars. In practice, however, this corresponds to the transport capacity of two to three heavy trucks – per railway wagon. For many years, rail transport in this segment, traditionally referred to as single wagon traffic, has been in decline. The cars (groups) bundled in the so-called main run accounted for only 14 percent of rail transport recently.

The federal government’s planned promotion of single wagon traffic aims to strengthen the service and shift traffic from road to rail. VDV and FREIGHT RAILWAYS had already developed a proposal a year ago with their industry model to promote the “first and last mile” in rail freight transport, in order to economically offer pickup and delivery for small shipment sizes at more industrial and commercial companies. FREIGHT RAILWAYS Managing Director Peter Westenberger stated in Berlin: “With the promotion of the first and last mile, the desired growth in volume by politics will come through firstly more transports via currently used rail connections. Secondly, the recommissioning of many of the approximately 40 percent of unused but operational connections today. And thirdly, through more support for the federally funded new construction of connections.”

Sustainable improvement on the infrastructure side

THE FREIGHT RAILWAYS want the operating cost support planned by the Ministry of Transport as “Funding Line 1” to be accompanied by a sustainable improvement on the infrastructure side. Westenberger: “The required funds can be mobilized in the budget draft.” The federal cabinet has allocated a total of 300 million euros starting in 2024 for the promotion of single wagon traffic. Support planned as “Funding Line 2” for the bundled main run does not contribute to increasing the overall volume and shifting traffic, according to the FREIGHT RAILWAYS. “The bundled main run can be operated without subsidies. The money should be better used for investments in modern infrastructure. If production costs decrease, single wagon traffic will be strengthened economically as an alternative to trucks,” said Westenberger.

According to the proposal from the FREIGHT RAILWAYS, up to 200 million euros per year should be used to modernize and electrify branch lines upon request. This includes transshipment facilities and rail connections, the procurement of modern hybrid locomotives and special wagons, the implementation of the unified European control and safety system ETCS, and the increase of the highly demanded investment grants for the modernization of non-federally owned infrastructures. Finally, THE FREIGHT RAILWAYS suggest initiating an in-depth model trial for the Digital Automatic Coupler and implementing the never realized proposal from the Master Plan for Rail Freight Transport to also pay the applicable track price subsidies for routes that do not belong to the DB network.

The proposals and the associated budget titles for budgeting in detail:

• Increase funds for the promotion of the acquisition of modern dual-power locomotives in budget title 892 06-332 (Subsidies for the promotion of alternative drives in rail transport)
• Increase funds for the electrification of rail connections in budget title 891 08 -742 (Funding initiative “Electric Freight Railway”)
• Increase funds for service facilities and loading points in budget title 892 42 -790 (Investment grants to private companies for the promotion of new construction, expansion, reactivation, and replacement of rail connections as well as other facilities of rail freight transport)
• Increase funds for ETCS vehicle equipment in budget title 891 06 -742 (Equipping German infrastructure and rolling stock with the European Train Control System ERTMS (European Rail Traffic Management System))
• Increase funds for the federal program “Future Rail Freight Transport”, including the promotion of wagon acquisition and equipment in budget title 683 51 -742 (Federal program “Future Rail Freight Transport”)
• Increase the SGFFG and extend the track price subsidies to non-federally owned rail infrastructure in budget title 891 51 -742 (Construction cost subsidies for investments in the railways of non-federally owned railways)
• Increase funds to accelerate the modernization of signal boxes in budget title 891 01-742 (Construction cost subsidies for investments in the demand plan rail)
• Increase funds for digital diagnostic systems (“wayside monitoring”) in budget title 891 11-742 (Construction cost subsidies for an infrastructure contribution to the maintenance of the railways of the federal railways)

Increase funds to promote model trials for the development of an automatic coupler in budget title 545 01-719 (Conferences, meetings, trade fairs, and exhibitions)

Photo: © SBB Cargo