EUROPE: An EU-backed project to develop ‘innovative and practical’ ways of securing the long-term future of wagonload freight operations was launched by 10 rail, logistics and research organisations on September 10. The three-year Viable Wagonload Production Schemes (ViWaS) project will examine ways to increase ‘last mile’ efficiency through the greater use of containerisation and hybrid locomotives. It will also consider improving wagon utilisation, including the use of swap bodies based on Wascosa’s Flex Freight system; reducing transit times; using telematics to improve service quality and the availability of information; and how to manage hubs to enable cost-effective ‘bundling’ of single wagons. These initiatives are to be tested under real-world conditions. The European Commission’s Seventh Framework Programme for Research & Technological Development is providing €2 More...
