TCDD General Directorate of Transportation organized the 'Freight Train Management Workshop on High Speed Train Lines' on 29 February 2024 at Ankara Behiç Erkin Hall.
Speaking at the opening of the workshop, TCDD Transportation General Manager Ufuk Yalçın said: “Thanks to the priority railway policies implemented in our country since 2003, a significant amount of investment has been made in our sector, and the railway infrastructure, rolling and drawn vehicle fleet and operational quality are rising to world standards. Our General Directorate supports the work carried out to design and produce railway rolling stock and towed vehicles in our country and to create a domestic railway ecosystem. In this context, our National Electric Train Sets have been put into operation with passengers, the first sample production of the National Electric Locomotive has been completed, and the certification processes have come to an end. "The design work of our High Speed Train, which has a speed of 225 kilometers, has reached over 95 percent."
'We aim to use digital technologies more for efficient business'
Yalçın said that they aim to benefit more from digital technologies in order to carry out existing locomotive, wagon, capacity and machinist planning in the most efficient way and continued his words as follows:
“As a result of the coordinated digitalization efforts of our Ministry of Commerce and our General Directorate of Customs regarding the reduction of transit times in international transportation, we together succeeded in reducing the customs transit times of a 50-container train from 1-2 days to minutes. We created the Customer Demand Management System through the online system in order to receive customer demands and match the block train schedule. The Combined Transportation Management System was developed to track and charge transportation containers, and its pilot application is still ongoing. "We have reached the final stage of the Logistics Terminal Management System, which is carried out in collaboration with the Customs Administration."
“With timely interventions at the center, we aim to run planned trains on time and reduce delays to minimum levels.”
Yalçın continued his words as follows: “In order to increase the navigation safety of the locomotives in our company's fleet, drivers should be tested for fatigue, sleep, distraction, etc. A platform has been created to ensure navigation safety so that situations are detected by the software with image processing and artificial intelligence capabilities, an alarm is generated on the system, and then the warnings are examined and the necessary measures are taken. We aim to ensure that planned trains run on time and delays are reduced to minimum levels through timely interventions at the centre. Again, we have to work in coordination with our infrastructure units and strengthen our communication in order to increase the average train speeds in the network, increase our freight transportation. We aim to increase block train operation by connecting ports, Organized Industrial Zones, logistics centers and production centers to the main railway network with junction lines. Business models regarding the effective and efficient use of our Logistics Centers are carried out in coordination with our stakeholders. "With the Central Corridor, Baku-Tbilisi-Kars Railway Line and Marmaray, which offer alternative railway connections between Asia and Europe, our country is taking firm steps towards becoming a regional logistics base."
'In the workshop, all aspects of freight transportation on high-speed train lines will be evaluated'
Yalçın: "In our Freight Transport on High Speed Train Lines Workshop, we will discuss all aspects of effective train traffic management, availability of rolling/towed vehicles, mixed train operation, risks in this operation process, assessment of risks and mitigation of these risks, God willing. "I believe that our Freight Transport Workshop on High Speed Train Lines is important for TCDD and TCDD Transportation, which undertake public duties in our freight transportation and contribute to the development of the sector, and I thank all of you very much for your participation and contributions," he said.
'There will be a meeting where the relationship between rail and wheel, puller and towed vehicle will be discussed.'
Şinasi Kazancıoğlu, Deputy General Manager of TCDD Transportation, said, “This workshop on freight transportation on high-speed train lines, which can be considered as a flare, will be a meeting where the relationship between rails and wheels and traction and towing vehicles will be discussed. We will also invite representatives from the private sector and universities to the workshops we will organize in the coming days. Another important issue is the livre, which has definite rules and cannot be changed. Norms on this issue are very important. Therefore, this workshop will enable the creation of a map that we can see in order to carry out the future processes in a healthy and planned manner. "I thank everyone," he said.
“The railway transportation sector continues to grow every year”
Naci Özçelik, Head of TCDD Transportation Freight Department, said: “2 percent of our railway network of 251 thousand 13 kilometers, including 919 thousand 58 kilometers of high-speed and fast railway lines, is signaled and 52 percent is electric. The railway transportation sector continues to grow every year. However, when we look at our transportation in 2023, the effects of the earthquake can be seen. We carried 2023 million tons of cargo in 27. However, there was a slight decrease compared to the previous year. Because due to the February 6 earthquake disaster, our railway lines in the region were damaged. Our freight trains carry out transportation on longer routes. "Our cargo transportation target in 2024 is 29 million tons, 2025 million 31 thousand tons for 500 and 2026 million 33 thousand tons for 500."
Özçelik said that according to the 2053 Transportation and Logistics Master Plan, the share of railway freight transport in 2023 is 5.08 percent and highway is 71.39 percent. He stated that the target was 2035 percent.
Pointing out that 2022 thousand 2024 freight train trips took place on the Konya-Karaman high-speed train line between 2 and 235, Özçelik said, “In our workshop on freight transportation on high-speed train lines that we held today, we will evaluate the issue of freight transportation on high-speed train lines in every aspect. We will also talk about examples in Europe. "I hope the workshop will be beneficial to our industry and thank you for your contributions," he said.