Freight rail One-stop railway capability and consultancy services www.railways.mottmac.com There is an increasing preference expressed by governments worldwide for the greater use of rail for freight transport. A properly planned and engineered freight rail service brings considerable economic, efficiency and environmental benefits to freight users. Mott MacDonald provides comprehensive freight rail services from the initial planning and business case development to design, implementation, programme management, operations and maintenance. We provide innovative and cost-effective solutions that minimise maintenance, increase capacity and improve operational efficiency. The benefits of rail freight The transportation of goods by rail over long distances is proven to be more economic and energy efficient than by road, with the following benefits: A faster and more reliable service Economies of scale Unaffected by fluctuations in road fuel prices and haulage costs Improved security and tracking of goods during transit Higher volume of goods can be transported providing lower unit costs through use of containerisation and double stacking Removal of heavy traffic from roads eases congestion and reduces maintenance and environmental damage Shaping strategies Mott MacDonald works closely with clients at any level of project development. At the highest level, working with government and national transportation bodies, we have experience and expertise in developing National Infrastructure Plans. These are currently shaping the transportation strategies of both governments and rail hauliers and providing essential information for strategic infrastructure investment decisions. Developing the whole logistics chain and maximising efficiency and return on investment are key positive results of the services we provide. This involves the development of infrastructure and operations from point of origin along the rail corridor through to point of delivery. To facilitate this we have expertise and experience in the development of both land and sea port facilities including multimodal solutions. Optimising performance As with any business, freight services worldwide are being constantly examined in order to maximise the capacity of the service and performance of the rolling stock. This has to be balanced with minimising costs for infrastructure, maintenance and renewals. Through our involvement with rail freight projects over many years Mott MacDonald has detailed knowledge of railway system operations and how the performance of the service can be optimised under any number of operational conditions. This experience is essential in order to help our clients in the delivery of management and engineering solutions, which will ultimately achieve that balance. Involvement from inception Mott MacDonalds comprehensive services extend from the initial concept of a new freight service, including demand forecasting, evaluation of the asset, the planning of a new line, the utilisation and upgrading of an existing line or the efficiency improvement of an existing service. On a heavy haul line of national importance for which we are programme manager and engineering consultant, our recommendations are being implemented and will increase transported freight tonnage by 57% with plans for a 300% upgrade. Advice is also provided to clients on the application of government freight facility grants. There is an increasing preference expressed by governments worldwide for the greater use of rail for freight transport. A properly planned and engineered freight rail service brings considerable economic, efficiency and environmental benefits to freight users. Mott MacDonald provides comprehensive freight rail services from the initial planning and business case development to design, implementation, programme management, operations and maintenance. We provide innovative and cost-effective solutions that minimise maintenance, increase capacity and improve operational efficiency. The benefits of rail freight The transportation of goods by rail over long distances is proven to be more economic and energy efficient than by road, with the following benefits: A faster and more reliable service Economies of scale Unaffected by fluctuations in road fuel prices and haulage costs Improved security and tracking of goods during transit Higher volume of goods can be transported providing lower unit costs through use of containerisation and double stacking Removal of heavy traffic from roads eases congestion and reduces maintenance and environmental damage Shaping strategies Mott MacDonald works closely with clients at any level of project development. At the highest level, working with government and national transportation bodies, we have experience and expertise in developing National Infrastructure Plans. These are currently shaping the transportation strategies of both governments and rail hauliers and providing essential information for strategic infrastructure investment decisions. Developing the whole logistics chain and maximising efficiency and return on investment are key positive results of the services we provide. This involves the development of infrastructure and operations from point of origin along the rail corridor through to point of delivery. To facilitate this we have expertise and experience in the development of both land and sea port facilities including multimodal solutions. Optimising performance As with any business, freight services worldwide are being constantly examined in order to maximise the capacity of the service and performance of the rolling stock. This has to be balanced with minimising costs for infrastructure, maintenance and renewals. Through our involvement with rail freight projects over many years Mott MacDonald has detailed knowledge of railway system operations and how the performance of the service can be optimised under any number of operational conditions. This experience is essential in order to help our clients in the delivery of management and engineering solutions, which will ultimately achieve that balance. Involvement from inception Mott MacDonalds comprehensive services extend from the initial concept of a new freight service, including demand forecasting, evaluation of the asset, the planning of a new line, the utilisation and upgrading of an existing line or the efficiency improvement of an existing service. On a heavy haul line of national importance for which we are programme manager and engineering consultant, our recommendations are being implemented and will increase transported freight tonnage by 57% with plans for a 300% upgrade. Advice is also provided to clients on the application of government freight facility grants. Mott MacDonald has extensive international experience in planning and managing the operation of freight railway systems. We provide a full range of design services for all aspects of railway infrastructure including seaports, terminals and depots. A key service that we provide is assistance with the preparation of the business case report, ensuring the full utilisation of the clients assets in order to maximise efficiency and profitability. Other important topics covered in this document include ease of operations, maintenance, engineering and planning opportunities for improved business whether container transport or bulk material movement always with an emphasis on cost savings. We provide important advice on the use of intermodal depots within the rail freight network for the transfer of goods to roads and ports. Our professional input to the client is crucial in the decision making process at project conception stage. Timetable and infrastructure management Our transport planners, rail operations specialists and engineers have extensive experience in developing timetables that maximise efficiency of resources and infrastructure capacity. Using appropriate software modelling tools we provide efficient, effective and operationally sound and practical solutions. They lead not only to sound infrastructure investment decisions but also to robust operational performance. A key service that we provide is assistance with the preparation of the business case report, ensuring the full utilisation of the clients assets in order to maximise efficiency and profitability. Other important topics covered in this document include ease of operations, maintenance, engineering and planning opportunities for improved business whether container transport or bulk material movement always with an emphasis on cost savings. We provide important advice on the use of intermodal depots within the rail freight network for the transfer of goods to roads and ports. Our professional input to the client is crucial in the decision making process at project conception stage. Timetable and infrastructure management Our transport planners, rail operations specialists and engineers have extensive experience in developing timetables that maximise efficiency of resources and infrastructure capacity. Using appropriate software modelling tools we provide efficient, effective and operationally sound and practical solutions. They lead not only to sound infrastructure investment decisions but also to robust operational performance. We undertook an asset condition assessment of a 700km freight rail network in Mauritania. The assets included track, rolling stock, train control and communication, and maintenance facilities. Our services include reliability, availability, maintenance and safety (RAMS), human factors, ergonomics, safety assurance and independent safety assessments. TRAIN The operational demands of a freight line need to be analysed to ensure that new operating requirements will be met without impairing the efficiency of the rail system. At Mott MacDonald, we have developed our own in-house software TRAIN which simulates freight rail systems and is able to analyse very complex systems. We have used TRAIN to model multilocomotive freight trains up to 2.5km long by modelling each locomotive and wagon separately. This enabled the accurate calculation of all the varying forces created by changes of gradient over the length of the train. TRAIN can be applied to diesel and any form of electrically powered system. Our services The planning, management and engineering of freight lines, together with operational advice, are major strengths and cover: Planning and programme management Financial and business planning are key services that Mott MacDonald provides together with visualisation modelling. As programme managers we can plan and upgrade a countrys national freight infrastructure, including freight corridors, port terminals and facilities. This can also include the provision of associated hubs and terminals as part of a strategy to provide a rail freight service that will compete with other modes of transport. In addition it can significantly reduce the unit cost of delivery, enabling a country to compete more effectively in the world markets. As programme managers we can provide complete services from conception through to commissioning and beyond during freight service operation. Infrastructure We provide the full range of design services for all aspects of railway infrastructure covering bridges, viaducts, tunnels, permanent way, earthworks, seaports, terminals and depots. By their nature of operation freight trains apply heavy loads to the infrastructure, which we have designed for payloads up to 100 tonnes and axle loads of 30 tonnes. We were technical advisor for the 10th of Ramadan project in Egypt. This involved upgrading 45km of rail line, constructing a second line along this existing route to make it double track and building 32km of new double track line. Contact us e railways@mottmac.com JK/12/09 Systems Mott MacDonald possesses comprehensive knowledge and expertise in all systems engineering for freight railways including signalling and train control, mechanical and electrical systems, improved electrical distribution, telecommunications and control systems. The comprehensive engineering of traction power, supply and distribution whether AC or DC, high or low voltage, overhead line or conductor rail are fundamental requirements for an efficient freight service. Rolling stock Through our rolling stock specialists we have experience in the client procurement process for freight trains to provide reliability, particularly for heavy haul lines with multilocomotive trains. In addition we support our clients with a comprehensive technical and specialist rolling stock engineering capability from the initial specification provision and design through to operation and maintenance. Railway operations A full range of operational services is provided operational rules and standards, operations planning, resource planning and management, service planning and timetabling including freight logistics management and terminals management. Mott MacDonald adds value to projects and embodies the operational requirements of the client into the applied engineering solution. Systems engineering and assurance It is essential to provide effective railway systems engineering throughout the project process for delivery of an integrated system design. We apply requirements engineering, interface definition and management and carry out design reviews to avoid contract overruns and additional costs. Our services include reliability, availability, maintenance and safety (RAMS), human factors, ergonomics, safety assurance to satisfy safety authorities and independent safety assessments under separate appointments. Other key rail freight services that Mott MacDonald provides include: Capacity utilisation and freight logistics management Asset evaluation Value engineering and cost-benefit analysis Risk assessment and management Route utilisation studies and timetabling Track access and franchising agreements Freight railway operational rules and standards Operational input for freight terminals and villages Seaport capacity, container terminal design and operations Mott MacDonald can plan and upgrade a countrys national freight infrastructure, providing a rail freight service that will compete with other modes of transport. To find out more see our dedicated microsite www.railways.mottmac.com