ICT tools for the improvement of intermodal transport at freight border crossing terminals

1. 5th PROMIT Workshop ICT tools for the improvement of intermodal transport at freight border crossing terminals Prof. Antonio Musso SCHOOL of ENGINEERING DITS - TRANSPORTATION AREA

2. List of Contents • Border crossing: problems related to the terminal operations and main parameters influencing their performances • 2. Dedicated Solutions and Demonstration Activities • Conclusions and Recommendations Antonio Musso

3. Border crossings: • overview of the problems related to the terminal operations and main parameters influencing their performances Antonio Musso

4. These nodes are identified at the border crossings where incompatible facilities can be recognized: infrastructure and superstructure layout (gauge, 5 different traction systems) rolling stock design (tunnel shapes calling for specific rolling stock in case of containers “high cube” and rolling road wagons) signalling (14 different systems in EU) heterogeneous regulations (administrative/documentary procedures) Border Crossings The unproductive activities are concentrated mainly at technical points, where interconnectivity and interoperability hinder the accessibilityto production and consumption areas Antonio Musso

5. Within INTERFACE Project the improvement of the interoperabilityof thetransport networks at the border crossing terminals(inside the enlarged EU), in order to overcomethetechnicalandoperational barriers,has been achieved INTERFACE Project The concepts outlined in this document have been developed within INTERFACE: a project funded by the European Commission (DG TREN) under the 5th RTD Framework Programme Antonio Musso

6. A literature review and a specific surveyon 22different types of border crossing terminals together with their performance criteria/indicators has been carried out • Northern Baltic region and its corridors with Russia • North-East part of Austria and its corridors with the former CEEC • Transalpine Arch • Pyrenean Arch The Geographical Framework Antonio Musso

7. the technical terminal family the techno-commercial terminal family Terminals Survey From the survey of terminals, a terminal typology classification has been built and 2 terminals families (considering its function within the networks) have been identified: Antonio Musso

8. The Terminals Families the TECHNICAL TERMINAL the TECHNO-COMMERCIAL TERMINAL • It is limited by the network, responding to supply constraints in terms of resources (equipment and human) and traffic management with a view of attaining technical profitability (i.e. the provision of full direct trains) • It is related to a market approach of the terminal which is closely linked to the intermodal transport users. • terminal is both a technical point, integrated within the intermodal operator network, and a commercial interface to the intermodal final customers and users Antonio Musso

9. The Main Parameters • Terminal classification has been the comprehensive basis for the qualification of parameters influencing the terminal performances Theparametershave been studied considering: factorsnature (technical, operational, economic and commercial, administrative and documentary, etc.) factors positioning within the operating process:the weight of specific factors at the different terminal interfaces (rail/road access and transhipment area) • the parameters and the terminal types were matched one to the other (according the knowledge of project Partners with a more direct experience in freight intermodal management). the outcome: weighted parameters list providing a reliable evaluation of specific parameters impact on every terminal type Antonio Musso

10. TheWeighted Parameters List Antonio Musso

11. Dedicated Solutions and Demonstration Activities Antonio Musso

12. Case Studies and Dedicated Solutions • 3 representative case studies in 3 of the regions used for the survey were analyzed and … • … the major key parametersinfluencing efficiency of terminal operations were selected • IN ORDER TO • assess the potential impact of the measure to be adopted in the demonstration phase, on the quality of the intermodal services Antonio Musso

13. Key Parameters (KPs) • 29 potential indicators were chosen: • general - to be compared within the case studies; • specific - related to the peculiarities of the specific study case • Improvement plans (simple ideas) such as dedicated solutions were envisaged for each case study Antonio Musso

14. Demonstration Activities • The solutions, theoretically assessed within the research phase were testedin a real environment, through 3 demonstrators in order to check the transferability of the results to other conditions and sites • KPs were assessed by means of numerical indicators assuming, respectively the point of view of: • process owners, who are interested in the cost of service they are providing for (Process Indicators - PIs); • customers, who are interested in the quality of service they are purchasing (Quality Indicators - QIs). Antonio Musso

15. Demonstration Sites and Activities Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is the main critical parameter and the focus of most of the case studies 3.NOVARA (Italy – Switzerland) • BRECLAV – HOHENAU (Austria – Czech Republic) 2. PORT BOU (France – Spain) Antonio Musso

16. BRECLAV Terminal(Austria – Czech Rep) Information Systems as well as the Technical Inspections of the train at the border (brake test, train inspection)have been identified as the most relevant key factors • Concerning the EDI at the border, the average time for data entry for 1 train is about 30-40 minutes. A pre-condition to reduce waiting times for intermodal freight trains is to cut data entry times at the border through the acceptance of data of the neighbour-railway companies in confidence • A further measure is the implementation of trust agreements concerning technical inspections and/on the transport of hazardous goods Antonio Musso

17. BRECLAV Terminal (Austria – Czech Rep) MAIN DRAWBACKS • The EDI (the UIC application Pre-advices of a freight train HERMES 30) was operated as follows: • CZ Railways used the wagon data of these pre-advices in a routine service and, since the application is used in the test mode, the data received had to be checked in the rail yard • The ÖBB did not use pre-advice • The used version of HERMES messages was different (30% of data transmitted had inconsistencies/failures) • The Terminal Operator and the Terminal Owners had no direct electronic connection to the Railway authorities so, EDI among these actors was rather complicated • Manual check of the accuracy of transport documentations at borders was rather time consuming: the commercial inspection in Breclav lasted about 70 mins. Antonio Musso

18. BRECLAV Terminal (Austria – Czech Rep) 1st DEMONSTRATOR: INTERMODAL MANAGEMENT CONCEPTS It aims at showing the contribution of an enhanced EDI system to the improvement of the intermodal transport, through a better and more updated information supply on freight transport status and planning Antonio Musso

19. BRECLAV Terminal (Austria – Czech Rep) The dedicated concepts and the related outcomes: Antonio Musso

20. BRECLAV Terminal (Austria – Czech Rep) THE DEVELOPED AND TESTED MEASURES Module 1(ÖBB) - connection HERMES with Wagon Database: - the “integration” of Wagon database into the ÖBB production system ARTIS • the XML (Extended Mark-up Language) file management for data interchange Module 2 (ÖBB) - connection to Consignment Note systems - “e-frachtbrief@” application for consignments that have their origin in Austrian forwarding stations - “Grenzerfassung” application for consignments that have their origin not in Austria, but are passing Austria Module 3 (CD) - Establishing of the application based on the HERMES 30 pre-advices:development of an application to enable the transfer of data, captured from one railway system, into another one Module 4 (CD) - Interconnection to the ORFEUS(Open Railway Freight EDI Exchange System)based Consignment Notes system Antonio Musso

21. BRECLAV Terminal: Results Comparison between ex-post results and ex-ante goals - ↑ ↑of the pre-advices reliability up to 95% - ↓ ↓ of stop-over times at the border of 20 min. for 7500 trains - a 25%↓ ↓ of border waiting times through transmission of more detailed - a 38% ↓↓ of the time due to commercial inspections - a 79% ↑ ↑of the intermodal trains punctuality (due to the pre-advices at the border station) - an ↑ ↑of the productivity with a 36% ↓ ↓ of the staff FTE - the provision of operational/commercial data (generated, collected, shared at the border) to the intermodal transport and terminal operators Antonio Musso

22. PORT BOU Terminal(France – Spain) MAIN DRAWBACKS • The involved actors manage the information on transhipment planning in different ways/formats • Additional information have to be controlled/collected manually once the train is in the Port Bou terminal • The planning process, carried out manually, it’s based on staff expertise as well as the transhipment plan feasibility (checked by the staff and function of the ITUs variety) • The instructions are transmitted orally to the gantry crane operator • 3 final inspections of the transferred train are carried out by the RUs (RENFE, SNCF) and the Logistic Operators, due to lack of quality trust Antonio Musso

23. PORT BOU Terminal (France – Spain) The 2nd DEMONSTRATOR: LOGISTIC CONCEPTS The development and the implementation of the dedicated concepts, within the Port Bou terminal, was realised through 3 modules: • design and implementation of a decision support system for transhipment and loading planning • integration of the ISs for transhipment and loading planning • decision support system for terminal management (selection of the approach to develop the automatic generation of transhipment plans: to get a standardized procedure, valuable for both supply actors and clients) Antonio Musso

24. PORT BOU Terminal (France – Spain) The dedicated concepts and their expected outcomes: Antonio Musso

25. PORT BOU Terminal (France – Spain) THE DEVELOPED AND TESTED MEASURES • A new Platform Wagon DB has been integrated with the existent RENFE ISs, including relevant wagon data necessary for “secure loading” purposes • Within the RENFE ISs, the Train Verifying System has been developed (TCIX sw) to represent/assign the ITUs position on a wagon and to ensure transhipment or loading plans compatible with technical and security rules • A Treatment and Reception of Trains was carried out to collect relevant info at train arrival and to transfer them to a tablet PC (via GPRS) Antonio Musso

26. PORT BOU Terminal: Results Comparison between ex-post results and ex-ante goals - the integration of productive information on the wagon • the elaboration of computerized transhipment plans with automatic checking and alerts related to the loading errors • a 33% ↓ ↓of the time due to the transhipment planning and train control • the polyvalence of the staff (↓ ↓of the training to elaborate the transhipment plans from 3to 1 month) • the increase of the productivity with a 27% ↓ ↓ of the staff FTE Antonio Musso

27. NOVARA CIM Terminal (Italy– Switzerland) MAIN DRAWBACKS • at the CIM the trucks peak period is in the late afternoon. Administrative time required for each ITU entry causes queues of waiting trucks • TOs and RUs use different ISs which are connected only for commercial data exchange (technical data have to be fed in manually); the players utilise 2 different wagons DBs (weight and length) determining lack of data standardisation • the rail line CIM-Boschetto is a single non-electrified track allowing only 1 shunting movement at a time; moreover, the gradient of the line calls for automatic brake coupling for all wagons • when the wagons wait on the transhipment tracks for a long time brake system inflation may take up to 20 mins Antonio Musso

28. CRITICAL SECTION NOVARA CIM Terminal (Italy– Switzerland) MAIN DRAWBACKS • The critical section of the Novara–Luino line (Luino-Laveno) is shared by freight and passenger trains which, currently, absorbs the major line capacity, thus, most of the freight traffic rolls between 10 pm-5 am • During the freight train peak periods, this 14.6 km section provides a capacity of 5 trains/hour and, with almost no spare capacity, is difficult to set up new train-paths and guarantee timetable stability • There is a high risk of additional delays at the Luino border due to the locomotives/drivers change. Unavailability of either locomotives and drivers may lead to major disturbances Antonio Musso

29. NOVARA CIM Terminal (Italy– Switzerland) 3rd demo: INTERACTION TERMINAL/NETWORK OPERATION the dedicated solutions was developed through 2 measures: • Harmonization of the Information Systems: reengineering of the ISs and creation of a unique wagon database to enhance train departure times reliability, reducing terminal delays and range variability • Integrated Timetable Planning: Asymmetrical Optimization and design of a Cyclic Timetable including the train paths and rescheduling decisions to reduce delays along the line, specially for Southbound trains, preserving circulation regularity and avoiding propagation of irregularities Antonio Musso

30. NOVARA CIM Terminal (Italy– Switzerland) The dedicated concepts and their expected outcomes: Antonio Musso

31. NOVARA CIM Terminal (Italy– Switzerland) • 1. Harmonization of the Information Systems: • SUB MEASURE A– a 3rd CDB was designed to collect all wagons technical data and share them among all actors. • SUB MEASURE B – CEMAT operated on its IS logic architecture introducing 3 new functions: pre-closing train, automatic fax transmission and data transmission in order to: • avoid manual insertion in the TRENITALIA Technical IS (SIR) of trains data stored in the CEMAT IS (GOAL); • reduce activities without added value and also to avoid mistakes. Antonio Musso

32. NOVARA CIM Terminal(Italy– Switzerland) • 2. Integrated Timetable Planning the train priority is usually defined by a timetable, except in the case of unexpected events when priority is decided by station inspectors or dispatchers this is a problem in single-track lines, as the Luino-Novara, where at some day hours many long-distance freight trains have to share the line with regional passenger trains that generally have priority the introduction of new concepts of train management is crucial to prevent scheduling problems along the line Antonio Musso

33. 2. Integrated Timetable Planning NOVARA CIM Terminal(Italy– Switzerland) Defined a dispatcher as an operator of a Rail company: who is aware of the traffic situation on the line co-ordinates the actions of the local station managers in order to ensure line reliability the following sub-measures have been chosen • introduction of a rail traffic management tool which gives priority to one specific direction in case of conflicts on the line (Asymmetrical Optimization) - short term scenario • design of a cyclic timetable including alternative trains paths and re-scheduling decisions - medium term scenario Antonio Musso

34. 2. Integrated Timetable Planning NOVARA CIM Terminal(Italy– Switzerland) 1. in a 1st phase the dispatcher simply co-ordinates station inspectors, without directly managing the stations interlocking systems the dispatcher can reduce some delays (1) by setting up the Asymmetrical Optimisation and creating synergies with different actions at station level 2. The medium term approach foresees the introduction of a Centralised Train Control (CTC) to provide the dispatcher with remote control of stations interlocking systems • A further delay reduction (2) thanks to more sophisticated tools such as: ISs able to describe the line situation, decision support systems and a Planning tool (Cyclic Timetable) Antonio Musso

35. NOVARA Terminal/RAIL LINE: Results 1 Comparison between EX-POST RESULTS and EX-ANTE GOALS • a 33%↓ ↓of the duration of the train composition • a 58% ↑↑of the work time rate of the process • an ↑↑ of the staff productivity with a 13% ↓ ↓ of the staff FTE 2 • in case of huge circulation disruption, giving priority to South-North running trains, delay ↓ ↓ is up to 120% and the Southbound trains have a 60% ↓ ↓ Antonio Musso

36. Conclusions and Recommendations Antonio Musso

37. Conclusions • the suggested measures are addressed to specific solutions: • the optimisation of the intermodal procedures management • the optimisation model for transhipment and loading planning • the harmonisation of the ISs among the transport chain actors • the planning of specific integrated timetables • To improve the efficiency and the effectiveness of border crossing operations… • are characterised by the followingcommon features: • reduction of the bottlenecks due to the rail border crossing operations • redesign of the existing Information and Communication Systems • promotion of the co-operation among the different players of the intermodal chain • development of a continuous improvement process (long term) Antonio Musso

38. Recommendations The guidelines have been designed to suggest measures and actions: to overcome the barriers for a seamless intermodal transport service at the rail border crossings to enhance the opportunities highlighted through the INTERFACE demonstrations by the implementation of new border intermodal operating systems to support policy decisions and to build a consensus between different actors of the transport chain Are presented in the form of a table for each issue reporting: • the barrier and the action necessary to overcome it • the additional action for policy makers • the expected results from such action Antonio Musso

39. The main factors to overcome the barriers have been synthesized in 5 key parameters: Functionality of EDI at Terminal level:related to the efficiency of the EDI Systems among the actors involved in the terminal operations Functionality of EDI at Network level:related to the efficiency of the EDI Systems among the actors involved in the intermodal transport chain Timetable Reliability: related to the trains punctuality preservation and/or delays recovering, optimising the rail line capacity and the border crossing operations Effectiveness of Technical and Commercial Inspections: related to the improvement of the reliability and accuracy of the train inspections Production of new intermodal services: related to enhancement of the competitiveness of the rail freight transport, providing “customers - oriented” innovative services Antonio Musso

40. Recommendations Antonio Musso

41. Recommendations Antonio Musso

42. Recommendations Antonio Musso

43. 5th PROMIT Workshop • Thank You for Your Kind Attention