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FINAL$REPORT$ ! May$2016$ ! ! ! B"""R"""A"""N"""C"""H"""L"""I"""N"""E"""R" How$do$we$solve$$ a$problem$like$the$Flows?$ FINAL$REPORT$ ! May$2016$ ! Co+funded$by:$ Strategic$Timber$Transport$Fund$ Forestry$Commission$Scotland$ HITRANS$ ! Page|! 1! HITRANS – BRANCHLINER 1 : FINAL REPORT Contents' ! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Page!No! Section'I' Introduction'&'Background,'Summary'of'Conclusions'&'Next'Steps' ''3' Section'2' Work'Programme'1'A'Civil'Engineering'&'Signalling' ' ' ''9' Section'3' Work'Programme'2'A'Rail'Operations'' ' ' ' ' 14' Section'4' Work'Programme'3'A'Road'Logistics'' ' ' ' ' ' 28' Section'5' Work'Progammes'4'&'5'A'Timber'Supply'&'Facilitation' ' ' 35' Section'6' Work'Programme'6'A'Economic'Impact'Analysis' ' ' ' 42' Section'7' Work'Programme'7'A'Environmental'Impact' ' ' ' 49' ' APPENDIX'I' ' I'Project'Outline'&'Work'Programme'(WP)'Briefs' ' ' ' ' 57' May 2016! Page|! 2! HITRANS – BRANCHLINER 1 : FINAL REPORT May 2016 ! ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' 1.1.1.1 ' ' ' ' !! !!!!!SECTION! ' ' ' ' ' ' 1' Introduction' &'Background,'' Summary'of' Conclusions'' &'' Next'Steps'' May 2016! Page|! 3! HITRANS – BRANCHLINER 1 : FINAL REPORT Introduction'&'Background'' ' THE!BRANCHLINER!project!started!out!in!September! Given!the!high!cost!of!the!demonstrator,!STTS!was! 2014!as!an!outcome!of!the!Highland!Timber! awarded!for!the!study!project!element!only,! Transport!Group!Flow!Country!Strategy!and!followed! following!resubmission!in!December!2014.!!! on!from!two!earlier!HITRANS!reports:!Upsticks!M! modelling!timber!flows!to!the!main!mills!in!the!Inner! HITRANS!with!support!from!Confor,!UK!Forest! Moray!Firth!and!Lifting!the!Spirit!M!analysing!whisky! Products!Association!(UKFPA),!Forestry!Commission! industry!haulage!movements!and!reporting!on!a!rail! Scotland!(FCS)!and!Highland!Timber!Transport!Group! demonstrator!project.! (HTTG),!engaged!separate!consultants!to!cover!the! following!Work!Packages:! It!also!followed!two!previous!Strategic!Timber! Transport!Scheme!(STTS)!projects!Roundwood!by!Rail! ! WP1!Civil!engineering:!terminal!design,! in!2011!and!Strathrail!in!2012.! improvements.! ! WP2!Rail!operations:!procurement,!wagons,! The!initial!Branchliner!proposal!was!for!a! haulage,!pathing!and!possessions.! demonstrator!project!similar!in!concept!to!Lifting!the! ! WP3!Road!logistics:!trip!to!and!from!terminals,! Spirit,!but!proposing!a!commonMuser!timberMbyMrail! roadspace!allocation.! service!from!Georgemas!in!Caithness!to!Inverness,! ! WP4!Product!supply:!harvesting,!loading!to!rail,! picking!up!part!of!the!load!by!railside!loading!at! off!loading.! Kinbrace.!It!proposed!to!shift!20,000t!of!timber!over! ! WP5!Facilitation:!promoting!and!establishing!the! 10!weeks,!with!the!operational!and!transport!costs! alliance.! subsidised!by!STTS!to!be!no!more!costly!than!road! ! WP6!Economic!case:!establishing!the!value!of! transport.!Branchliner!would!be!delivered!in!two! timber!to!the!Highland!economy.! phases,!an!initial!study!to!determine!realistic!logistics! ! WP7!Environmental!assessment:!impact!of!mode! and!costs,!followed!by!the!actual!demonstrator.! shift.! ! May 2016 Page|! 4! HITRANS – BRANCHLINER 1 : FINAL REPORT Summary'of'Conclusions' Key'Study'Outcomes' WP2:'Rail'Operations:'procurement,' ! The!Branchliner!Reports!have!demonstrated!the! wagons,'haulage,'pathing,'possessions' viability!of!a!rail!solution!to!the!challenges!of! (Deltix'Transport'Consulting)' timber!transport!in!the!Flow!Country.! The!volume!of!c.100,000tpa!or!more!of!timber!traffic! ! Up!to!140,000!tonnes!per!annum!of!timber!can!be! over!10!to!15!years!from!the!Flow!Country!to! delivered!from!the!railhead!to!the!market!with! Inverness!justifies!a!bespoke!rail!terminal!in!the! significant!economic!and!environmental!benefits.! Kinbrace!area,!serviced!by!a!costMeffective!regular! ! The!Reports!have!focussed!primarily!on! train!service.! quantitative!outcomes!but!it!is!acknowledged!that! The!train!service!will!be!dependent!on!long!trains! there!is!a!range!of!qualitative!environmental! with!substantial!payloads,!and!a!rail!terminal!design! benefits!arising!from!the!nonMabandonment!of!the! which!minimises!the!time!which!the!locomotive!and! timber!resource.! driver!are!required!to!wait!before!returning!to! ' WP1:'Civil'Engineering:'terminal'design,' Inverness,!so!that!the!round!trip!can!be!achieved!in!a! single!driver!shift.! improvements'(Douglas'Binns'Ltd)' The!longest!trains!with!the!largest!payloads!will!be! The!ability!to!move!a!significant!volume!of!timber!by! those!which!are!permitted!by!Network!Rail!to! rail!from!the!Flow!Country!to!Inverness!and!beyond!is! operate!at!lengths!greater!than!those!of!the!line’s! dependent!on!the!provision!of!an!efficient!means!of! crossing!loops.!In!such!a!scenario,!depending!on!the! transferring!loads!from!road!to!rail.!The!site!at! class!of!locomotive!and!type!of!wagon!utilised,! Kinbrace!was!chosen!by!the!project!team!as!the! timber!payloads!range!from!c.624t!to!c.1,080t,! preferred!transfer!site.! equating!to!100,000tpa!or!more!over!a!40Mweek! Options!were!considered!for!both!lineside!loading! season,!based!on!four!trains!per!week.! and!fixed!sidings,!with!the!fixed!siding!option!being! In!the!case!of!lineside!loading!–!the!terminal!type! developed!as!the!preferred!option.!!The!site!was! with!the!lowest!capital!cost,!but!highest!operating! previously!used!for!lineside!loading!–!direct!loading! cost!–!the!maximum!possible!train!payload!would!be! from!the!adjacent!hardstanding!onto!trains!occupying! c.364t!to!c.480t,!equating!to!73,000tpa!and! the!main!railway!line.! 100,000tpa!respectively!over!a!40Mweek!season,! The!proposed!layout!entails!a!south!facing! based!on!five!trains!per!week.!In!light!of!the!above! connection!onto!the!main!railway!line!with!two!440! and!other!forest!and!rail!industry!concerns!about!the! metre!sidings!and!a!run!round!facility.!!This! cost,!complexity!and!inflexibility!of!lineside!loading,! arrangement!allows!a!train!to!be!loaded!in!one!siding! this!type!of!terminal!has!been!rejected!as!a!core! and!an!empty!train!to!be!brought!in!on!the!other! option!–!although!it!may!be!required!as!a!subMoptimal! siding.!!The!run!round!allows!the!locomotive!to!take! interim!solution!should!NICS!not!secure!approval.! the!train!of!empty!wagons!into!the!siding,!detach!and! The!preferred!Flow!Country!terminal!option!from! transfer!to!the!opposite!end!of!the!loaded!wagons! 2017!or!2018!onwards!is!the!provision!of!bespoke! before!heading!south.! sidings!at!Kinbrace,!connected!permanently!to!the! The!overall!terminal!would!have!an!area!of! main!line!by!a!conventional!set!of!points!controlled! approximately!30!000!square!metres!with!a!width! by!a!groundMframe!–!the!terminal!type!with!the! suitable!to!allow!the!three!rail!lines,!one!through! highest!capital!cost!but!lowest!operating!cost!and! road,!one!loading!road!and!a!stacking!area.! greatest!operational!flexibility.! Significant!earthworks!will!be!required!in!order!to! In!the!interim!period!(2016M2017/18)!the!preferred! achieve!a!terminal!area!that!is!level!with!the!adjacent! option!is!the!‘semiMpermanent’!NonMIntrusive! railway,!with!reasonable!longitudinal!gradient.! Crossover!System!(NICS),!which!would!involve! Road!access!would!be!via!the!existing!access!point!on! medium!capital!cost,!medium!operating!cost!and! the!B871!south!of!Kinbrace.! flexibility!–!and!crucially,!the!potential!for!shortMtoM The!estimated!cost!for!the!civil!and!track!engineering! medium!term!implementation.!! works!is!£3.6!million!for!works!within!the!yard!but! ! excluding!the!connection!to!the!main!line! ! ! ! May 2016! Page|! 5! HITRANS – BRANCHLINER 1 : FINAL REPORT ! ! NICS,!however,!will!require!Type!Approval!or!a! Alternative!vehicles!for!timber!haulage!were! derogation!with!a!siteMspecific!Safety!Plan!to!facilitate! Investigated;!however,!at!this!time!these!were! innovation!at!Kinbrace.!The!prospects!for!securing! discounted!due!to!the!potential!damage!they!may! derogation!from!Network!Rail!should!be!enhanced!by! cause,!and!general!availability.! Transport!Scotland’s!enthusiasm!for!innovation!set! Little!if!any!timber!will!be!stockpiled!at!the!rail! out!in!its!Rail!Freight!Strategy.! terminal!with!the!industry!preferring!to!store!in!the! The!length!of!terminal!loading!sidings!is!likely!to!be!in! wood!as!part!of!normal!harvesting!operations!to!cut! the!range!374m!to!437m,!with!two!doubleMended! down!on!the!costly!double!handling!of!timber.!! sidings!and!a!parallel!runMround!loop!within!the! 7!trucks!will!be!required!to!service!the!haulage! terminal!maximising!wagon!productivity!and! operation!and!as!the!operation!is!working!above!the! simplifying!onMsite!shunting.!Longer!sidings!will! current!load!restriction!no!additional!timber!will! provide!longMterm!flexibility!in!train!size!and!wagon! leave!the!area!and!it!is!anticipated!that!the!timber! type.!The!detail!will!become!clearer!once!a!preferred! vehicles!will!be!based!in!Kinbrace.!Managing!the! rail!haulier!has!been!appointed.! haulage!operation!and!exact!road!space!allocation! In!the!case!of!an!Inverness!railhead,!the!preferred! will!be!best!handled!by!a!cooperative!of!the!forest! option!will!rest!on!whether!a!conventional!or! owners.!In!effect!this!has!started!with!a!group!of! intermodal!wagon!option!is!chosen,!and!in!the! owners!agreeing!the!road!space!allocation!for!2016.!! former!case,!on!alternative!accommodation!being! The!recent!improvement!and!maintenance!works! found!for!current!Network!Rail!technical!train! carried!out!on!the!roads!within!the!area!by!THC!has!a! berthing!and!equipment.! design!life!of!5!years!and!additional!funding!for! The!choice!of!conventional!or!intermodal!will!depend!
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