ERFA Gleisanschluss

Initial situation

A railway connection connects as a hub enterprise directly with the network of national and international rail traffic. Production and transport processes can seamlessly merge and reduce storage and handling costs. In addition, a company-owned track connection relieves the road network and makes sense from an ecological point of view. Since 2004, the Federal Government has therefore awarded a track connection promotion which however is only reluctantly accepted by shipping companies. So far only about 30% of the funding has been exhausted.

Challenge & Project goal

Often companies lack a transparent economic basis for decision-making. By means of a benchmark analysis carried out all over Bavaria, companies with a track connection were investigated.

Through the creation of benchmark comparisons and the creation of an exchange group (Erfa-Group), transparent and comprehensive know-how in the planning and operation of rail connections can be created.

Procedure

Establishment of an exchange of experience

An exchange of experience (ERFA) is to be established. The ERFA meetings are based on a number of technical aspects. An adequate period of time for the exchange of technical knowledge is to be accompanied and the result of the technical part of the project will be scientifically and technically prepared.

Development of an information platform for railroad related topics

There is also a lack of availability of up-to-date documents on the legal situation, on the possibilities for funding and on proposals for applications. For this purpose, an information platform is to be created in this project, which is designed and filled according to the requirements of the companies and the public bodies according to contents, access rights, etc.

Variable training and further education course for connecting ladder

At present there is no possibility for the recognized training of employees on the connecting line. During the pre-study BMG-3D the supervisory authority and the companies showed an urgent need for support.

Development of an internal market place for free transport capacities

Already during the workshop in the preliminary study, it became clear that some companies still had capacities on their ordered whole trains and could be used by other companies. As a result, additional potential can be released. For this purpose, the entire potential of free capacities and needs (group-internal) should first be determined and the requirements for a virtual marketplace defined.

Result

Through the participation in the ERFA track connection, SMEs should be able to obtain up-to-date information on the state of the art, the legal situation and their own key figures compared to the group benchmark. Through the personal exchange of experiences in the workshops, experience values of other railway trackers can be put into practice.

Through an information tool on free capacities and new ways of using the rail, more goods are to be transported on the rail in the short term. This could lead to a more sustainable modal split as a potential for economic success.

Business profitability potentials result in the short and medium term by reducing company-specific logistics costs. These can be achieved by implementing the bundled practical knowledge of the companies in the ERFA track connection and the expanded information tools.

The experiences and solutions offered by the ERFA participants and the scientific evaluation of the results are intended to make it easier for other companies to test a track connection as an alternative to the truck.

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Project duration

since 2013