Comprehensive analysis of the modern rolling stock efficiency in bulk cargo transportation

Abstract

Introduction. Under the conditions of increasing containerisation of railway freight traffific, the problem of fifinding new cargo flflows suitable for transportation of freight containers or other types of intermodal freight containers on acceptable terms for both the carrier and the consignor is becoming increasingly important. Being of a fifixed size, large-capacity containers can not always meet the demands of consignors due to insuffificient carrying capacity, body volume and tariff conditions. The article examines the technical and economic effificiency of railway transport using various types of rolling stock and corresponding logistics technologies in the search for new areas for containerisation of cargo flflows.Materials and methods. Using bulk transportation, which is weakly subject to containerisation, as example, the authors carried out an analysis of the effificiency of rolling stock depending on the type of transported bulk freight (freight density). The comparison was performed both between common types of rolling stock (conventional and increased axle load gondola) and rather rarely used types of rolling stock (articulated gondola with increased axle load, demountable railway body, open top containers and specialised bulk containers).Results. Graphs have been plotted showing the effificiency of using each type of rolling stock, expressed through the volume of transported freight per running meter of the car and through the use of the useful volume of the rolling stock itself. The comparison proved, fifirstly, the obvious thesis about the better suitability of gondola cars for the transportation of bulk freight, and secondly, it showed a signifificant deterioration in the bulk freight transportation conditions for largecapacity containers.Discussion and conclusion. The innovative system of demountable railway bodies demonstrates average results in the overall ranking, which indicates suffificient potential for the implementation of this logistics technology.