Freight transport using high-speed railways

Abstract

There has been an encouraging awareness of the need for more sustainable transportation particularly for freight transport that has resulted from the continuing increases in global trade and business internationalisation. This is mainly driven by the related issues concerning greenhouse gas emissions and dependency on fossil fuel. The expansion in the worldwide high-speed railway (HSR) systems has provided a reliable opportunity for freight transportation. The HSR has the ability to move goods in a more efficient, safe and cost-effective way, which can improve trade links in Europe and the rest of the world. Many countries have developed HSR systems, but such systems are mostly used for passenger transport despite their haulage capacity. This research investigates the future possibility of shifting freight from airlines onto HSR, by analysing the operational and technical constraints associated with freight traffic. Most of the data were gathered from online sources and related research publications concerning a selected set of worldwide HSR systems. The outcome of this research may contribute to the development of suitable solutions that may improve the economic, environmental and social sustainability of transport systems.

Review of freight high speed railway (HSR)

“…For this reason, plans, considerations, simulations, optimizations [2,54], predictions and real solutions for the use of HSR (High Speed Railway) for high speed freight transport [20,35,51,52,60] have been developed. Including comparative analysis of the use of air transport and HSR [47,56], as well as the punctuality of express parcels transport by various means of transport [32] and the selection of optimal locations of consolidation centers to reduce GHG [9], mainly on China example.…”

A Graphical Method for Designing the Horizontal Alignment and the Cant in High-Speed Railway Lines Aimed at Mixed-Speed Traffic

“…Railways are one of the world's most essential modes of transportation for both people and freight (see Watson et al [1]), and particularly in the last two to three decades, highspeed railway lines have been developed all around the world. One interesting point is that the term "high-speed" in the railway context is related to the passenger market rather than freight transport.…”

Socioeconomic and Spatial Impacts of High-Speed Rail on Enterprises: An Ex-Ante Case Study of Ahmedabad Station Area, India

“…HSR improves transportation system [27], increases accessibility [28,29], enhances regional attractiveness and development [30], improves businesses [31,32], fosters new opportunities, modernity and innovation [33], which increase employment growth and boost urban productivity [2] due to time savings [34,35], better market information [26], significant reduction in business cost [34], and agglomeration benefits [7]. Despite high investment in HSR development [36], HSR benefits the regional governments from increase in tax revenue [23,37], tourist inflow [38][39][40][41], and better performance of private investors [42,43]. Impact of HSR projects on regional tax revenue [23], productivity [44], and urban expansion [45] has been widely analyzed.…”

“…Despite high cost of HSR projects [9,32,56] compared with tax revenues [37], many economies invest in HSR development [57]. For instance, the ratio of infrastructure investment to tax revenues is as high as 49.1% in South Asia [58].…”