Streamlining the Rails: EU's Innovative Codification System Revolutionizes Freight Transport Compatibility
A common problem railway freight operators encounter in many EU states is that a wagon loaded with an intermodal loading unit (a container or a truck swap body, ILU) will exceed in its upper part the loading gauge permitted on a line. Consequently, the loaded freight wagon may have to be operated under rules applicable to exceptional transport. Such a situation entails additional checks related to assessment of load tilting on track curves, establishing critical points exceeding the gauge, calculation of critical dimensions of the shipment etc. and associated formalities.
To facilitate the operation of such loaded freight wagons the TSI revision of 2023 (Digital Rail and Green Freight package) introduced a special codification system. This codification system permits to easily assess the technical compatibility between the loaded freight wagon and the line and establish if it can be operated under normal rules. It is based on codes attributed to three constitutive elements that are the line, the freight wagon, and the ILU.
The codification of a freight wagon consists in the allocation of a wagon compatibility code (WCC) and, where necessary, one or more wagon correction digits (WCD). The WCC specifies the type of wagon on which a given ILU can be loaded (carrier wagon, recess wagon etc.). The WCD is the result of a comparison between the geometric characteristics of the wagon under assessment and the characteristics of the reference wagons defined in TSI WAG. Attribution WCD is optional and requires precise determination of technical characteristics of the wagons, but ultimately provides wider possibilities of their use in combined transport.
The line has to have a Combined Transport Profile attributed according to TSI INF. Attaining the best results as to facilitation of combined transport requires precise and reliable identification of physical position of obstacles determined by field measurements. Line codification should be reflected in register of railway infrastructure managed by the European Union Agency for Railways. Provision of the necessary information to the register is the responsibility of infrastructure managers.
The codification of ILUs itself is not regulated by the TSI, but is covered by applicable existing standards.
TüV Rheinland provides expert services on clearance assessment and dynamic vehicle modelling via it’s subsidiary DGauge . Contact us at [email protected] and find out more how we can help your company in implementing codification of lines and freight wagons for combined transport.
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