Freight DMU [was Re: Latest news on Speedrail]

["Arthur Marsh" <mars0177@flinders.edu.au>]

What can be done to make it easier to load and unload containers at smaller
stations and sidings though? I've seen road trucks that have on-board
equipment so that they can load and unload a container with just the driver
and no external equipment, but wonder if anything could be done on the rail
side.

Arthur.

"Dave Proctor" <daproc@spambait.ozemail.com.au> wrote in message
Y3fB5.14941$NS5.171061@news6.giganews.com">news:Y3fB5.14941$NS5.171061@news6.giganews.com...
> "Maurie Daly" <mauried@tpg.com.au> wrote in message
> 39d57ec8.1244105@can-news.tpg.com.au">news:39d57ec8.1244105@can-news.tpg.com.au...
>
> > Yes, the double handling costs of having to transship goods from rail
> > to road at each end in order to deliver to the final customer makes
> > rail even less attractive than it could be.
> > Ive often wondered why rail operators dont also own truck fleets so as
> > to eliminate part of this problem.
>
> State Rail used to (Trackfast trucks).
>
> > It doesnt solve the double handling,but it does solve the hassle of
> > the customer having to deal with both a trucking company and a rail
> > company.
> > Currently , there is very little incentive for anyone to use rail,as
> > the differantial between road freight rates and rail freight rates are
> > so low , especially on the eastern coast..
> > This is due to mainly extreme competition in the trucking industry,and
> > the fact that trucking doesnt pay its way.
> > As neither of the major political parties seem in the slightest bit
> > interested in fixing the 2nd problem,the only fix for rail is for the
> > track owners to abolish their access fees.
> > Fat chance of that hapenning either.
>
> I wonder if anyone has investigated the freight DMU currently under
> development in Germany? The one I read about in Modern Railways is a
> five-car articulated unit, with each car capable of carrying one
container,
> and there is a drivers cab at each end. They are capable of operating in
> multiple (d'uh, that is why they are a DMU I suppose) so if you have 15
> containers going you can run three of them together. Of course there would
> be a point where the economies would be better with a full train and a
loco
> or two, but for small loads it could be worthwhile, and could be a way to
> service multiple destinations.
>
> Dave
>
>