SR Cargo Concept
Creator:
Julian Dahl
Curator's Note
Updated: August 2023
For decades the global logistics industry relied on shipping and air freight. While the new silk road as planned by China can reduce dependence on traditional maritime routes and provide land-based trade alternatives, it also faces critique in the areas of investment, corruption and environmental impact.
However the political, economic and social implications will be handled it is an ongoing project that can be anticipated.
Almost five years have passed since President Xi proclaimed the Belt and Road Initiative in 2013. [...] Around 70 countries have joined the infrastructure initiative so far - representing 60 percent of the world's population and generating 30 percent of global GDP. This means that the New Silk Road has the potential to become the largest economic development initiative of this century.
The key aspects of the SR Cargo Concept by Julian Dahl is the autonomous mobility of containers and their adaptability to various train-line standards along the „road“. The design of interfaces between wagons, wagons and stations and different modes of transportation would eliminate hauling engines and serve as a new standard for autonomous efficiency potentially resulting in more sustainable, globalized trade routes.
Abstract
SR-Cargo is an autonomous rail-freight system designed for intermodal transport. It consists of individual units that can be loaded with sea containers, high-speed containers and railcar modules. The units are connected to the overhead lines over long distances above the railcar module, but can also drive independently for short distances.
The Silk Road Cargo concept restructures intermodal freight transport along the silk road with autonomous driving technology. The route starts in Chongqing in China, goes through Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, and Poland, and ends in Duisburg, Germany. It also exists a way further south that runs through Turkey and avoids countries like Belarus and Russia which can be safer in times of war.
Due to the changing rail widths and guidelines in various countries, local operators must transfer the containers between trains of different widths and lengths.
Therefore, the autonomous rail freight system consists of modular wagons to respond to different circumstances. It chooses a more efficient, flexible, or speed-optimized assembly, depending on the situation. The extended units (80U) have advantages over long distances, and the short units (40U) are more flexible during autonomous sorting and grouping tasks at the beginning or end of the journey. High-speed haulage is only possible with the appropriate containers.
Unlike current carriers, the units can operate autonomously and thus eliminate the need for diesel-operating haulage engines and shunting yards.
By eliminating maneuvering and the flexibility in assembling the wagon groups, rail freight traffic becomes more efficient and can be an alternative to the increasing road and sea freight traffic.
