SPECTRUM – Solutions and Processes to Enhance the Competitiveness of freight Transport by Rail in Unexploited Markets

Modern manufacturing techniques and logistics require reliable, time sensitive delivery of lower density and higher value goods. This presents a market opportunity for rail freight to grow, partly due to increasing congestion on roads, and mainly due to the need for reliable and environment friendly transport of goods. At the same time, to meet customer requirements, rail freight has to rise to the challenge of needing to be reliable and available, as well as complying with other market demands.

Depending on the market segment these may be faster transport time, specialised goods systems, tracking and tracing, greater flexibility, lower prices or premium services. Furthermore in congested situations rail freight may have a competitive advantage compared to other modes of traffic.

SPECTRUM takes a radical and first principles approach to deliver a new rail freight offering that can compete with road and air in the growing sectors of logistics where rail freight has traditionally little to offer.

On the long run, SPECTRUM will develop a rail freight train that provides a higher speed service for high value, low density and time sensitive goods with the performance characteristics of a passenger train.

SPECTRUM’s objectives are to work towards defining railfreight services that consists of:

• A freight train that performs like a passenger train in terms of speed, acceleration, braking,

momentum: allowing full scheduling on inter-urban and suburban train networks with no excessive
consumption of train paths or the inflicting of delay on other rail traffic;

• Increased operational productivity through intensive asset management systems, integration of train,

capacity management, infrastructure utilisation and integration through handling systems into the co-modal
networks of modern logistics;

• A freight train that is smarter by design in terms of the on-board array of systems for condition

monitoring of the train technology, cargo status and tracking and tracing;

• Has a standardised and universal power supply system for the delivery of power to temperature

controlled containers (reefers) in a controllable fashion.

www.spectrumrail.info