Promising services: managing freight train traffic to match customer schedules

The innovative use of technology to manage freight train traffic implemented by JSC “RZD” will ensure that freight delivery matches fixed schedules agreed with the customer.

In 2012, the Corporate Transport Service Center (CTSC) of JSC “RZD” entered into contracts with 13 companies for freight train transportation. According to the schedule more than 4.8 th. freight trains and more than 14.7 mln tons of freight were transported amounting to an additional income of RUR 401.2 mln. Since the start of the project, more than 6 th. freight trains and more than 18 mln tons of freight were transported with an additional income of RUR 535.7 mln.

The new scheme was tested at 24 railway destinations (three destinations of the Sverdlovsk Railway, 17 of October, and four of the West Siberian Railway). Demand for the service came from, in particular, LLC “TC “EvrazHolding” (seven destinations) and JSC “Severstal” (three destinations).

In mid-November 2012 the launch of the transportation of ferrous metals according to customer schedules started from Smychka and Novokuznetsk-Severny stations to Mys Astafieva station. During the implementation of the pilot project, the freight delivery time decreased by 30% (from 15-17 days to 10-12). On the West Siberian Railway, an experimental coal delivery was arranged according to a fixed schedule from Eranukovo station to Obnorskaya, Novokuznetsk-Severny, Biryulinskaya stations and from Obnorskaya station to Nakhodka-Eksportnaya station.

Railways have developed rules of interaction regarding the management of train traffic “according to the schedule”, which, in particular, will help consolidate fleets of different owners and reduce empty return car flows.

JSC “RZD” takes measures to enhance road capacity:

• Heavy-weight traffic helps improve capacity use, specifically, on busy sections. In 2012 over 117 th. freight trains weighing above 6 th. t were delivered; deliveries will grow in 2013. As a result, track infrastructure, power supply, automatic systems and telemechanics will also be need to be brought in line with compliance.
• Introduction of job orders involving co-operation across JSC “RZD” production functions will improve key quality indicators of transportation. The “customer — contractor” principle helps determine the cross responsibility of units for specific elements of business processes. Provisional rules have been approved; they set out the procedure, liability of directorates and their units related to the generation, performance, summation of mutual obligations and job orders in transportation.
• The steady operation of distributing and divisional stations also determines transportation quality. Their development program has been adopted, their method of train inspections revised, and inspector numbers increased. In 2012, these measures helped reduce the standby of transit cars at the network’s most important distributing stations by 3.1%. The standby period decreased and car turnover increased.
• Routing (delivery of a train with the freight destined to one or more neighboring points) is an effective tool to speed up car movements. JSC “RZD” set routing level targets for 2013: for the transportation of oil and oil products up to 41%, coal 78%, ore 85%, and ferrous metals 32%. Routing also applies to empty cars.
• Development of automated systems will contribute to the improvement of performance and quality of JSC “RZD” transportation.