New cargo tram test in Karlsruhe

03/15/2021 – By Frédéric de Kemmeter – Railway signalling
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Usually, trams are used for passenger transport, but for several years now, cargo trams have been used. There are very few of them in the world. One of the best known was the CarGoTram in Dresden, eastern Germany. This CarGoTram commenced operation in 2001, transporting car parts 4km to Volkswagen’s “Transparent Factory” located in central Dresden, from a road served logistics centre. Each bidirectional trams is made up of five units, with services operating along the same tracks used by passenger services. However, it was planned to stop this service by the end of December 2020. Unfortunally, on 10 December a van crashed in one of the CarGoTrams. This accident eventually was the end of service for the CarGoTram. If it will be in service again transporting other goods for another company someday is currently unclear.

(Taken from this video)

Another example is the BVZ’s cargo activities, the public transport of Zurich. Jointly with the city refuse and recycling department ERZ, operates the cargo tram to collect bulky waste. As Zürich has an extensive tram network serving most neighbourhoods, and many suitable sidings not used by regular services, it was decided to use the tram network. The cargo tram serves 10 different collection points around Zürich, calling at each on different days of the month. The service was introduced in 2003, as an attempt to reduce the amount of bulky waste items dumped illegally every year. The collected waste is carried in two standard refuse containers, which are mounted on four-wheeled flat wagons. These are hauled by a old car from 1922, converted into a works car in 1980.

In Germany, it is estimated that 4.43 billion items will be delivered in 2023 (+262% compared to 2000), although these figures should be seen in the context of the current pandemic. However, more recently, studies on alternative tram cargo options have been launched. This is notably the case in Frankfurt. A study by the Research Lab for Urban Transport (ReLUT) of the Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences (Frankfurt UAS) analysed the integration of the « logistics tram » in parcel delivery in the city centre of Frankfurt am Main. The study found that the concepts that are used in some cities around the world remain the same as in the early 2000s, proving that there has been no real technological leap in 20 years. The Frankfurt test consisted of a platform adapted for loading at a normal tram stop and two types of rolling pallets loaded this time into a passenger tram… but without passengers (photos). This test was combined with the last kilometre by cargo bike.

In the region of Karlsruhe, a joint project called LogiKTram aims to transform the last mile of combined transport. In particular, the project wants to develop a logistics concept where transportation of goods from rail terminals to their final destination will take place on trams or light rail vehicles, using existing urban tram and rail infrastructure. This is the tram-train option that has become a reality in Karlsruhe.
As described in Germany, a tram train is a light rail vehicle which can operate at high speed on the heavy rail network and also operate on the street like a normal tram. The tram allows good access and urban amenity benefits in the city centre while the train aspect provides high speed, comfort and capacity for commuters.

In 1992 rail vehicles ran on the world’s first dual-mode tram train line between Karlsruhe and Bretten. Since then, the network expanded dramatically and some destinations are now located at 50 or 80km from the city center of Karlsruhe.The Karlsruhe’s LogiKTram project includes various partners with AVG (Albtal-Verkehrs-Gesellschaft), Karlsruhe’s Institute of Technology (KIT), and FZI Research Centre for Information Technology. They are working on the concept of ‘freight trams’, which becomes feasible due to the tram-train system. The project started on March 1 and will last for three years. It has received a funding of 2,75 million euros from the German Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy to complete its initial objectives.

LogiKTram is part of the umbrella initiative regioKArgo, which investigates and implements new types of cargo and delivery traffic in Karlsruhe and the surrounding region.Local operator AVG has provided one of its vehicles which bears particular adaptations to fulfil transporting goods’ requirements. Following the tests, the team will try to establish an operational line in the region that will transport products in practice. In Karlsruhe and possibly also in other cities and municipalities, “city hubs” would be created from which the goods could then be further distributed within the city in “fine distribution”, e.g. with load wheels.

The idea is to design the freight streetcar in such a way that it can be used exclusively for passenger transportation during peak traffic hours and in combined operation with passenger and freight transportation during off-peak hours. The project try to avoid using different vehicles for cargo and passenger traffic. Subsequently, it will try to create a concept where travellers and products will board a single tram. To succeed in this, the development team needs to redesign the wagons’ interior and create dedicated cargo spaces.

The knowledge and experience gained in the “LogIKTram” project thus form a solid basis, which will then be profitably and efficiently incorporated into the more in-depth work of the overall “regioKArgo” project. In the coming years, a coordinated overall concept is to be developed to bundle flows of goods by rail and transport them from the region to the city centers, making optimum use of the existing infrastructure of the “Karlsruhe model”.

We will follow closely this new experiment in the field of urban logistics, just like also the Frankfurt project.