Freight transport by rail The National Rail Administration’s strategy SHORT VERSION 1 Contents Background – development 4 Challenges and critical parameters 5 Goals for rail freight transport 6 Recommended strategy for developing rail freight transport 7 Main strategic moves 7 Prioritisation of measures for increased freight transport 10 2 Foreword Freight transport by rail brings new challenges and new opportunities Executive Director - Strategic Planning Anita Skauge. Rail freight transport has undergone a period of strong, very pleasing growth in recent years. This has brought new challenges for railway infrastructure. As part of its work on a new National Transport Plan (2010 – 2019), the National Rail Administration has therefore developed a strategy that describes necessary infrastructure- related and organisational moves in the years to come, making it possible for rail freight transport to continue growing. In its work to develop the strategy, the National Rail Administration has held discussions with both railway undertakings and other interested parties. Implementation of the strategy will be included as part of the transport departments’ planning proposals for the National Transport Plan [NTP] in December 2007 and, obviously, is otherwise dependent on the annual budgets. The departments’ NTP proposals will be sent out for a wide consultation in parallel with the transmission of the proposal to Norway’s Ministry of Transport and Communications. Anita Skauge Executive Director - Strategic Planning 3 Background – development Developments in rail transport have been Combi-load. The preparations under- moving in the direction of fewer combi- taken in recent years for combi-transport terminals which are handling increasing between the largest towns have been amounts of freight, and on an increasing an unqualified success, and now the amount of freight being concentrated demand for transport capacity is consid- on the busy freight corridors of Oslo erably greater than the freight operators – Trondheim – Bodø, Oslo – Bergen, and the infrastructure are able to offer. In Oslo – Kristiansand - Stavanger and the the short and long term, it is important Østfoldbanen line. This development therefore to further develop a freight coincides with that which is being seen strategy which guarantees good levels in the co-load operator market and road of capacity and prepares for efficient transport. This is not unexpected, since terminals. co-load operators are the most important customers for combi-transport by rail. In The demand for consumer goods is the aforementioned corridors, trans- growing strongly, in line with financial port has improved constantly with the development. Consumer goods are be- increased frequency of train departures, ing imported to a greater extent and are and in the last 5 years there has been a organised by major co-load operators. strong increase in the volume of combi- Combi-transport (container, semitrailer, transports, approximately 10% - 15% per swap bodies) has proven to be a compet- year, measured in the number of TEUs. itive transport concept from Oslo to the (Twenty feet Equivalent Units) largest towns, where they are reloaded for distribution in the local area. This development has led to capacity problems, particularly at the terminals In Norway, combi-transport accounts for but also on the lines between terminals. approximately 85 % of rail freight trans- The carrier wishes to offer considerably port, measured in tonnes (excluding ore increased frequency on all main lines transport on the Ofotbanen line) and ap- with one train every two hours, 24-hours proximately 90% measured in tonnekm. a day. Wagonload, timber and other system cargo transport account for the remain- Based on major trends in the market, ing 15% of the tonnage. CargoNet is the such as: dominant carrier today. In recent years, • considerable growth in transport several new carriers have started operat- volumes ing on the railway within the wagonload • steadily increasing containerisation of and system cargo product field, but in goods transport terms of volume-share these transports • increasing “hubbing” of the cargo into are still marginal. However, there has major hubs and busy transport corridors been a high level of growth in wagon- • growing challenges for road transport load transports in the last few years. (resting /driving time regulations, lack of drivers) • focusing on safe, sustainable transport 4 High frequency Price Punctuality combi-transport by rail stands out as a more and more robust transport option. It is estimated to be fairly certain that the Information Service demand for combi-transport by rail will be increasing in the years to come, and the profitability and market competi- tiveness of the transport may increase Price and punctuality are generally ranked highest, but high frequency is also evaluated as considerably both by planned measures extremely important. in the infrastructure and measures that will be implemented by the carriers themselves. The average transport distance for pulp Punctuality on the railway is affected by timber is 160 – 170 km, for woodchips a number of conditions such as efficient, Wagonload and system cargo approximately 140 – 150 km and for saw high capacity terminals, total capacity constitute a small part of transport on timber approximately 50 km. Here too, utilisation, sufficient capacity on the the railway, in the region of 5% - 8%, there has been a marked increase in de- lines between the terminals, good access depending on whether the transport mand in recent years. Transport volume to the terminals from public roads, ICT is measured in tonnes or tonnekm on the railway, however, has been limited equipment for effective administration and whether it is compared with local by factors including a lack of wagon roll- and depot management, maintenance Norwegian transport or by the sum of all ing stock. The companies’ expectations of technical equipment and emergency transport, including interoperation with of future income from freight and freight preparedness for rescue and repair foreign countries. Wagonload today runs costs will be deciding factors for the works. between Sweden and Norway, to termi- investment and procurement decisions nals in Drammen, Rolvsøy and Trond- which will be taken as regards wagons. High frequency transport is in great heim. Wagonload traffic today is very demand in the market, and can only be different from the previous traditional The dominant loads carried on the given in transport corridors with large wagonload product. Today, fixed unit Ofotbanen line are ore transports. volumes of goods. That is why it is impor- trains with wagonload run from terminal Approximately 15 million tonnes of ore tant in the long term to facilitate efficient to terminal. No servicing of individual and approximately 0.5 million tonnes rail transport between a few large main customers on branch lines is offered. with additives are carried per year on the terminals, and that these are guaranteed Wagonload transport has also increased Ofotbanen line. capacity and efficiency. considerably in recent years. However, it is difficult to get reliable statistics. Challenges and critical Today, the rush hour problems in the ter- System cargo, apart from timber, com- parameters minals constitute the greatest challenge prises car and paper transport. A small Combi-transport is unquestionably the to combi-transports. There is consider- part of the system cargo is made up largest and most important form of trans- able pressure on capacity at certain of ”closed” transports for one or more port on the railways in Norway. Several times of day (evening and early morning) industrial customers. The transports analyses and, perhaps most importantly, which do not coincide with passenger are operated as whole trains and the signals from trade and industry have traffic. In the longer term, this can be cargo comprises aircraft fuel, chemicals, pointed out 4 – 5 central parameters changed to ensure that freight traffic will calcium and ore.The largest, and highest according to which the carriers have to also request capacity during the day to a number of, timber transports by rail are deliver. (See the figure above.) greater extent. in Østlandet and Trøndelag. 5 Southbound combi-express en route down the Gudbrandsdalen line. Photo: Njål Svingheim Another important condition is that lie in the terminal area. Sufficiently large 2010 – 2020, the following goals have central players such as co-loaders, who areas must be guaranteed for storage, as been established for the development of are the most important customers in rail- well as areas for some of the wagons that rail freight transport: way transport, are located in and beside have to be under cover during loading/ the terminals. In addition, a gradually unloading. One significant challenge is Combi-transport: increasing requirement is emerging in ensuring that areas that are designated • transport capacity shall be offered the market for capacity, in area terms, for railway purposes are not redesignated for combi-transports by rail to cover being available to allow miscellaneous and broken up for urban development market demand in the short and long supplementary services to be performed and housing purposes. term – this means a doubling of current at the terminal, such as final processing capacity up to 2020 – and a trebling of of products before they go out to the Critical parameters are: cost/price, expect- current capacity up to 2040 customer. It is thus important to have ed running time and logistics/info about • a punctuality target of 90% for the areas available in the vicinity of a termi- the freight. Of the aforementioned condi- transports shall be facilitated nal, which can be used when required tions, cost/price and expected running for activities that sustain and support time are the ones that might be affected It is assumed this will be achieved by railway transports. by infrastructure. Here, sufficient capacity taking action on infrastructure and in the must be guaranteed both on the track administration and organisation of the Wagonload transports constitute a and in the terminals.