CE 533 Introduction to Rail Transportation (2)

Railroads were America’s First Large Corporations

Had a Monopoly on Transportation

Heavily Regulated until 1970s/1980s

U.S. Railroads Privately OwnedU.S. Railroads are Primarily FreightU.S. Rail Passenger Service is Heavily

Subsidized by the Public

Introduction• Adequate Transportation System

• Efficient Movement of Goods and People

• Provides No Basic Intrinsic Value

• Provides “Value Added”

• Necessary for Economy and Development

Early Modes of Transportation in the U.S.

• Waterways• Crude Roads• Rivers/Canals 1700’s• Railroads 1830• Better Roads

Trucks/Automobiles early 1920’s

• Air – Passengers 1950s• Interstates

Trucks/Automobiles early 1960s

• Railroads 2000s!!!

Current Modes of Transportation in the U.S.

• Waterways

• Highway Trucks

• Airways

• Pipeline

• Railways

• Conveyor Belts

Why is railroad freight transport so important now,and even more so in the future?

• Lets consider the alternatives for inland transport:truck, water, air, pipeline, conveyor belt

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Waterways Pros and Cons• Pros: Energy efficiency, low cost, low pollution, safety, capacity• Cons: Speed, limited network

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Highway Truck Pros and Cons• Pros: Speed, reliability, network coverage

• Cons: Energy efficiency, safety, land use, pollution, cost, congestion (because of shared use of infrastructure truck transport affects auto safety and congestion as well)

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How many truckloads can a railcar carry?

Airways Pros and Cons

Pros: Speed, reliability, network coverage

Cons: Energy efficiency, cost, limited volume

Pipelines and Conveyor Belts

• Pros: High volume, continuous transport possible, no vehicles needed, low labor requirements

• Cons: Highly constrained types of commodities, limited product flexibility, speed and network

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Rail uniquely combines speed and

energy efficiency

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*Plus environmentally

Friendly

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Rail is the principal means of economicallymoving large, heavy freight long distances overland

Freight

North American freight transportationvolume by mode

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

Rail Truck Pipeline Waterways Air

Bil

lio

ns

of

Ton

-Mil

es

Rail Truck Pipeline Waterways Air

Source: AAR from Eno Foundation for Transportation

1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2005 20080

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

1800

2000

Year

Re

ve

nu

e T

on

-Mil

es

(b

illi

on

s)

US rail freight traffic

Common Goals & Functions of the Railroad Industry

• The movement of Freight and People in the most efficient manner possible

• Principal Function in U.S.– Hauling Freight (~43+%)

• Characteristics– Fast – Reliable– Convenient– Economical– Safe/Secure– Fuel Efficient– Environmentally Friendly

• Renewed Interest in Passenger Rail

Early Regulations

Land Grants (1850-1870) Business Transactions Development of Central and

Western U.S. Repaid

Interstate Commerce Commission (1887)

Surface Transportation Board (1995-1996)

Recent Significant Legislation• Phase 1:

– 1971 Amtrak– 1983 RRB / Depreciation

• Phase 2:– 1973 3R Act– 1976 4R Act– 1980 Staggers (Deregulation)

• Phase 3:– 1992 ISTEA– 1998 T21– 2004 SAFETEA-LU– 2008 Safety Improvements– 2010 Surface Transportation

Assistance Act

The Fundamental Principle of Rail Transport - EFFICIENCY

Implications for Economics,Energy & Environment

orWhy Rail Transport is More Important Than

Ever!

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US 20th Century was about CONVENIENCE

The 21st must considerEFFICIENCY as well

• Then– Abundant: energy, land, natural

resources and labor• Now

– Diminishing resources:• Energy• Air quality• Water• Land

– Congestion• Need more efficient use of

transportation infrastructure– Stronger global competition

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Speed and Resistance by Transport Mode

Rail uniquely combinesHigh Speed and Low Resistance

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SPEED (mph)

RE

SIS

TAN

CE

(lb

s./t

on

)

Airplanes

Trucks

Boat

Lower coefficient of rolling friction (μR) • Steel wheel on steel rail has lower rolling friction (μR)

than rubber tire on pavement:

– Steel wheel on rail: μR = 0.001

– Truck tire on pavement: μR = 0.006 to 0.010

– Tire is 6 to 10 times greater than steel wheel

– Consequently lower rolling resistance

• But why…?

• Rubber tire

– Small effects of static friction and adhesion of the rubber

– Major factor is the deformation of the tire while rolling under load

– Pavement deflection also contributes

• Steel wheel and rail experience elastic deformation under load as well, but much less

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Energy efficiency truck vs. rail

• How far can each mode transport a given amount of freight for a given amount of energy?

• Specifically, how far can we transport one tonof freight with one gallon of diesel fuel?

22(AAR & FRA data)

Rail is over 3 timesmore efficient than truck

Automotive Energy EfficiencyAssume:• 200 lb person• Drives 100 miles• Auto gets 25 mpg

Rail=480 ton-miles/gallon

Truck=120 ton-miles/gallon

Railroad transportation efficiency

• Railroads produce “output” more efficiently than their principal competition: trucks

• What is transportation “output”

– Ton miles

– Passenger miles

• Why are railroads so efficient?

– Low rolling friction

– Large size

– Trains

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Larger Size of rail vehicles permitseconomies of scale

• Strong railroad infrastructure allows larger, heavier vehicles than is practical for highways

• Permits economies of scale

– Larger vehicles can transport more weight with less resistance per unit

– Larger engines can convert energy to work more efficiently

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“Trains” permit two more importanteconomies of scale

• The ability to operate many vehicles coupled together permits two substantial economies of scale

– Labor: one or two people can operate a single train with 100 to 150 cars (or more). Considering that each railcar is roughly equivalent to three trucks, the economies are substantial.

– Energy: close spacing of cars in train substantially reduces aerodynamic resistance compared to trucks. This effect is particularly important at higher speeds (> 40mph)

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One “E” leads to three• Rail efficiency leads to three fundamental elements of railroad importance

to society

• All are important now but there is a chronology to our understanding of these

– Economics: rail transport was and is less expensive than its competition, therefore critical to a competitive economy

– Energy: efficient use of fuel was always part of rail’s economic efficiency, but energy scarcity enhances this aspect

– Environment: fewer emissions and land use required per unit of transportation output means rail is part of the quest for sustainability

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Rail Transport is Economical

• This was the original motivation for development of railroads• Before rail there was no practical way to move heavy goods long

distances overland unless there was a navigable river or a canal was built• Low cost transport CREATES markets for both goods and people• Permits development of large, complex, economies with diverse products

and skills

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Rail Transport is Energy Efficient

Transportation Energy Useby Mode 2002

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Federal Highway Administrationhttp://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/aqfactbk/page13.htm#alt2

Normalized Comparison by Transport Mode

http://www.shipsandboxes.com/eng/keytopics/environment/

Projected energy consumption by sector

• Transportation is the second largest consumer of energy• Largest consumer of petroleum

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Rail transport is more environmentally sustainable• Transportation is responsible for a substantial

portion of air pollution

• Greater energy efficiency of rail corresponds with reduced emissions of noxious pollutants and CO2

• Growing concern about the importance of greenhouse gas emissions, and air pollution in general, means that rail’s importance as a less polluting form of transport will increase

• Substantial R&D on locomotive technology over the past 20 years has substantially reduced locomotive emissions

• Technology for electric motive power is mature and used widely elsewhere in the world. Presently not economic in US but if petroleum scarcity or environmental concerns require it, the transition is possible without substantial new technology development

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Carbon Emissions by Sector 2002

Railroad Electrifications Proposals in the 1970s

Rail transport requires less land per unit of transport

• Transportation output per unit of land is considerably greater for rail compared to highway

• More units per vehicle (tons or people)

• Fewer vehicles, and they are consolidated into trains

• Easier to accommodate temporal differences in directional traffic

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Rail transport benefits due to these efficiencies:but exploiting them imposes constraints as well

• Infrastructure design - Heavy loads and high speeds demands particularly robust infrastructure system design and components

• Vehicle design - Large, heavy vehicles capable of supporting their own weight plus lading, and also very large in-train “buff” & “draft” forces

• Infrastructure and equipment cost - Large size and strength of infrastructure makes it expensive and capital intensive

• Trains - Require standardization of many aspects of design, this combined with their high cost means there is a need for long life, thereby imposing reverse compatibility constraints on new technology

• Traffic control system - High speeds and mass of trains, combined with low coefficient of friction at wheel/rail interface means stopping distances are very long, often longer than sight distance

• Small markets - Ironically, in some important aspects railroads suffer because they cannot exploit economies of scale, e.g. long life and small market for locomotives means it is hard to justify investment in new tooling as technology advances

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Benefits to the Environment

• 1 Train = 1 ton of freight carried 435 miles on 1 gallon of diesel fuel (86% improvement since 1980)

• 1 Train = 280 truckloads

• 1 Train = 3 to 4 times more fuel efficientthan trucks

Rail vs. Truck

• During the last four years, there has been a fundamental shift in the competitive environment between rail and truck

• Shift primarily due to:– Increased fuel costs– Congestion on highway system– Reduced hours of service for truck drivers– Driver shortages

• Shift appears to be permanent

$623b

$48b

1% shift in trucking revenue market share to rail.

-1%

+13 %

Revenue Effect of 1% Shift in Truck Industry

Trucking$623 billion industry

Railroads$48 billion industry

1% shift of trucking's revenue to rail

Top-line growth of 13% for railroads ($6.2 billion)

Trucking RailData Source: AAR, ATA

Increased Public Interest in Rail

Increased awareness of rail as a solution to congestion, pollution, and fuel inefficiency

Increased motivation to invest public money in rail infrastructure Heartland CREATE Green Power

(Locomotives) I81

Genset and Hybrid Switchers

In the last 20 years…• Vehicle travel increased 78%• Road miles increased only 1%

Traffic congestion costs the U.S. $67 billion annually

Congested Highway Segments - 1998

Potential Congested Segments - 2020

Summary

Rail Industry is growingRail has become a viable alternative to truckSpike in Public Interest due to Highway congestion Population growthEnvironmental issues

Significant investment required to accommodate growth for freight and passenger

Broad set of safety concerns for railroads

• Safety of passengers, employees, infrastructure, rolling stock, hazardous materials, operations, highway vehicles, pedestrians and communities

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SAFETY FIRST! Railroads have fostered a strong safety culture among operating employees for nearly a century

• Dates to the “Safety First” movement of the early decades of the 20th century • Railroads continuously stress safety in and out of the workplace• Bureau of Labor Statistics data support the railroads’ safety record

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• Railroads also have regular, ongoing training schools and programs for operating personnel