Zbornik radova Koridor 10 - Kirilo Savić

3rd International Scientific and Professional Conference
CORRIDOR 10 - a sustainable way of integrations
urbanisation of numerous Alpine valleys and increasingly greater disagreements regarding limited
natural surfaces within the Alpine region. Owing to limited trends of development, the requirements for
the protection of the nature have been strengthened which also include the regulation of traffic flows
and mobility inside and outside the region of the Alps (The Permanent Secretariat of the Alpine
Convention, 2011).
Increased traffic volume in Alpine space should not endanger nature and to the detriment of the
population of the Alpine areas. Intermodal transport is environmentally friendlier and thus the
instruments for its development in the Alpine region should make intermodal transport more
competitive.
Through the Alps also Pan-European Corridor X. is running. One of the important intermodal freight
generators for the area of the Alps and Central and Eastern Europe is the Port of Koper, connecting
different destinations throughout Europe. The study is dealing with costs analysis among two
intermodal types of freight transport (technologies “A” and “C”, railway part) comparing to costs with
road transport, taking into account also external costs which are much more higher in road transport
and are not paid yet by the operator.
2. TECHNOLOGIES OF INTERMODAL TRANSPORT
When discussing the technologies of intermodal transport across the Alps, it is necessary to focus on
three types of technologies representing a connection between road and rail transport: the so-called A
technology, B technology and C technology. They are distinguished with regard to which part of a
goods road motor vehicle is carried by rail. One of the main differences between these technologies is
the relationship achieved between the weight of a vehicle and the weight of a wagon against the net
weight of the useful load. This relationship determines the productivity of the method of transport and
the following table shows relationships for different technologies.
Table 2-1: Relation between the weight of a vehicle and the weight of a wagon and the net
weight of the useful load according to the individual type of technology
Relation between the weight of a vehicle and
Type of technology
the weight of a wagon and the net weight of
the useful load
A technology 74:26
B technology 38:42
C technology 12:88
Source: Zelenika, 2001.
2.1 TECHNOLOGY “A”
The technology A is also called the Piggy-back, “Ro-La transport” or “rolling motorway”. It presents the
carriage of trucks by rail as whole, i.e. articulated vehicles with semi-trailers and trucks with trailers. In
this case we also talk about accompanied transport since the drivers drive the vehicles over the
loading ramp onto the wagons and then accompany them on the same train in a special passenger
car. Vehicles are loaded on wagons according to the “first in – first out” system which means that the
vehicle which has driven onto the wagon first, also drives off it first.
The floor of wagons for the transport of trucks is lowered and the wagons are connected between
each other in a manner that enables the driving of the trucks along the wagons during their loading or
unloading. The height of road vehicles may, depending on the type of the railway tracks, amount to 3.6
to 4 m. Trucks with trailers may be up to 4 m high which is harmonised with the road traffic regulations.
The gross weight of a train is approximately 1.000 tonnes and its greatest speed is limited to 120
km/h.
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