By 2030, current projections show that the European freight market will grow by around 30%, with rail being ideally placed to take advantage and provide an environmentally-friendly alternative to road haulage

In Europe, 75% of the total freight is moved by road and on average contributes around 155 g of CO2 per tonne-km, whereas rail only accounts for 18%, reducing to just seven grammes per tonne-km of CO2 emissions when electric traction is the prime mover.

The current modal split is such that at the current rate, it will be challenging to meet the Paris Agreement goals for annual CO2 emissions by 2030.

Although rail transport can provide an environmentally friendly alternative to road haulage, it faces numerous obstacles.

These include escalating costs associated with safety equipment, authorisation and cross-border operations, the scarcity and management of skilled drivers, and the difficulties surrounding track access.

Alstom recognises the problems and is developing solutions which Adrian Kurz, Alstom’s Market & Portfolio Director for the Locomotives Rolling Stock Platform, seeks to explain.

Adrian has been with Alstom for over 20 years, having served in sales and marketing before becoming a locomotive expert. Based in Zurich in Switzerland, he analyses the different markets and guides product directors to define the product development strategies and support Alstom’s worldwide sales force.

What is the outlook and status of the rail freight market today?

The rail freight market in Europe is growing steadily, yet its share in the modal split remains stagnant. The combination of general economic growth and government-backed efforts towards decarbonisation provides a robust foundation for the continued expansion of railway freight. The EU rail freight volume currently stands at approximately 400 billion tonne-km, with noticeable growth in cross-border operations. In recent years, we have been observing new trends in this market. 

For instance, the growing market share of leasing companies, which have distinct requirements focused on ensuring that their assets, typically locomotives, are leased throughout their lifecycle. Additionally, there is a movement towards minimising locomotive changes at country or system borders, where now only the locomotive drivers usually switch. Furthermore, digitalisation is increasingly being implemented in the railway freight industry to improve efficiency in every aspect of operations and maintenance.

Adrian Kurz, Alstom’s Market & Portfolio Director for the Locomotives Rolling Stock Platform

What are the primary pain points for customers in the cross-border market?

The primary pain point of cross-border operation remains the competition from the road. To cope with this, all cost aspects are important, from the locomotive driver to track access, energy, purchasing and maintenance cost. The load per train-km is also relevant, i.e. how much load the locomotive is able to pull and how efficiently the operator is able to organise the traffic.

This may affect, for example, whether or not I need to buy expensive shunting services and how many locomotives are needed along the logistics chain. Here, cross-border locomotives play an important role in avoiding time-consuming uncoupling/coupling and brake tests – and therefore expensive locomotive changes at borders.

Adrian Kurz

With rail freight widely seen as a sustainable alternative to road freight, how can Alstom respond to the difficulties faced by operators?

Alstom is ideally positioned to address the challenges faced by freight operators, thanks to its global experience – in India, South Africa, North America and certainly Europe – and the vast pool of innovative technologies and comprehensive support services for locomotives. First of all, our Traxx Universal™ locomotives demonstrate high cost-effectiveness through energy-optimised traction and a 33% extension of maintenance intervals compared to the previous generation of locomotives.

In addition, they have been designed to carry more load than comparable locomotives of the same class, allowing increased revenue for freight operators. They also include innovative features that guarantee further savings on cost and time. A good example of this is the Last Mile functionality, which ensures continued locomotive operation through dynamic transition into non-electrified line sections, such as rail yards, ports or terminals, including a remote control option.

Moreover, the integration of our leading ETCS signalling system, Onvia Cab™ (formerly known as Atlas™), enhances the interoperability of our locomotives across Europe. Last but not least, our spacious and comfortable cab designs help boost job attractiveness, making it easier for operators to attract and retain skilled drivers in a competitive market.

Adrian Kurz

What is the future of Alstom’s locomotives for cross-border freight operations?

Over the last few years, Alstom has signed several major contracts for its third-generation Traxx Universal locomotives. These locomotives will be able to operate in at least 12 European countries, with contracts from customers in seven different countries. And there’s more in the pipeline. This locomotive platform is optimally placed for future operations in Europe.

We are making significant investments to combine this successful product with the Onvia signalling system that is excellently prepared for upcoming and continued developments in this field, i.e. DSD (Digitale Schiene Deutschland) or Digital Rail Germany as it is known in English – a plan to implement a fully digital, highly automated rail system), as well as for other features like new technology for last-mile applications, DAC (Digital Automatic Coupler) and more.

Adrian Kurz

Already this year Alstom has secured orders for 13 Traxx locomotives from Poland and 16 from Romania.