A rail motorway is characterized as a combined transport framework in which street vehicles (lorries) are transported by rail in carrying administrations utilizing uncommonly updated rolling stock and terminals.
Depending on the sort of rail motorway the transport can go with or unaccompanied. Within the to begin with the case, the lorry driver makes the travel within the same prepare that transports his vehicle in a car given for this reason, whereas within the case of unaccompanied transport, as it were the semi-trailer is stacked and, so, the lorry driver does not travel within the prepare.
Contents
Railway highways are classified into three kinds.
- Small wheeled wagon system (ROLA). The use of low-floor platforms with constantly organized bogies made up of tiny wheels distinguishes this system. As a result, the train is built as a huge linear, continuous, and level platform with a car placed behind the locomotive in which the drivers travel. The trucks and their tractor heads enter the railway through a ramp installed at the train’s rear end.
- Modalohr System is an abbreviation for Modalohr Modalo It is distinguished by the fact that the trucks reach the wagons horizontally, using just their tractor heads and without the need of cranes or load handling equipment.
- Wagons are known as “Poche. “It provides for transportation both accompanied by the driver (in which case a vehicle conditioned for this service would be available on the train) and unattended. Unlike the ROLA system, this method allows for intermediate station pauses, as the necessary number of semi-trailers may be emptied without disrupting the remainder.
Other systems in use today
Other methods for providing rail motorway services are also available today. The Eurotunnel or Channel Tunnel, for example, provides freight shuttle trains via a specialized system of rail highways. This highway was opened in 1994, transports lorries, automobiles, and passengers.
Rail highways’ locations
Railway motorways should be built near major road axes or at concentration sites. This is preferable to be placed in densely populated regions. It is also important to consider whether the service will be accompanied or not (depending on the demands of the firms requesting the services), as well as to research factors such as environmental sustainability, availability, and land cost.
Advantages on the highway
According to estimates handled by both European institutions (in the case of the European Commission) and private sector players, the usage of rail motorways implies that up to 350 trucks per day may be taken off the road, resulting in considerable energy and environmental savings. It also has additional benefits, such as reducing traffic congestion on the roadways. In short, rail motorways offer a viable alternative to road freight transport in Europe, and they also consider another important logistics concept: intermodality.
