Calculator could benefit operators and customers

TECHNOLOGY developed by the University of Hull’s Logistics Institute could offer more accurate data for railfreight planning, allowing customers and operators to get a clearer picture of energy usage and emissions.

NR+ is being marketed as the first digital platform to fully capture freight capability from an operating perspective. It is being used as the basis for the development of a Rail Freight Energy and Emissions Calculator (REEC) which will combine information on loading gauge, permitted weight, electrification constraints and route data with train performance modelling.

Funding

Freightliner, the University of Derby and consultancy groups Aether and Carrickarory are partners in the project which has received ‘First of a Kind’ funding from the Department for Transport.

REEC aims to model the performance limitations of different types of traction and train loads and offer comparisons with other transport in order to determine the emissions impact of modal shift. It could also be used to analyse electrification plans from a freight perspective and assist operators in more efficient operation of trains.