Optimization of cargo container loading on railway wagons

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to research the optimization of loading cargo containers on railway wagons during the formation of railway compositions, by matching technical limitations of the wagons, as required by the wagon engineering discipline (“wagon loading schema” – includes cargo position, weight, and axle load, among other parameters), limitations of the railway (maximum speed, railway class, axle load, cargo height etc.), as identified by the “State of the railway network” document issued by the Railway Infrastructure Manager HŽ Infrastruktura Ltd., and the commercial bill of lading. As a part of the research, a mobile Web application has been created and tested with the key pilot stakeholder, confirming the initial hypothesis that the optimization methodology can successfully be used in optimization of cargo container loading and placement on railway wagons, increasing efficiency and decreasing cost and harmful emissions.