GBRf Trialling Commuter Trains for NHS Supplies

[Meerkat]

No reason why it couldn't be one train for many customers, just the same as a container train can carry boxes for many customers.

Containers are more secure than roller cages, and the terminals are more segregated.

 

[pdeaves]

Containers are more secure than roller cages, and the terminals are more segregated.

Sure, I just meant that with a bit of thought it shouldn't be insurmountable.

 

[Royston Vasey]

Timely publicity stunt, if a little cynical. We know this will never ever be a commercial reality.

 

[Meerkat]

Timely publicity stunt, if a little cynical. We know this will never ever be a commercial reality.

I wouldn’t say never.
Make sure the politicians see you can supply the trains. Then when the Mayors etc ask Amazon/DHL etc about all the diesel lorries coming into their desired low pollution zones they can say “why can’t you use those trains, looks possible to me, are you trying hard enough??”

 

[Royston Vasey]

I wouldn’t say never.
Make sure the politicians see you can supply the trains. Then when the Mayors etc ask Amazon/DHL etc about all the diesel lorries coming into their desired low pollution zones they can say “why can’t you use those trains, looks possible to me, are you trying hard enough??”

To which they will say "why can't you pay for it" and the discussion will be over!

 

[Meerkat]

To which they will say "why can't you pay for it" and the discussion will be over!

At which point the Mayor bans their lorries from the centre and creates a delivery vehicle policy without their input.
How long before Amazon reckon they can run Rail logistics much better than anyone else anyway.......

 

[Dr Hoo]

Whereas major city stations often had reasonable access for road vehicles to get close to platforms - cab roads, parcels docks, Motorail sidings and so forth - these areas have generally now been re-purposed for additional platforms, retail areas, security buffers, etc.

Once you start to propose dedicated terminals as an alternative these generally require a lot of investment in signalling, electrification and road access and with the best will in the world quite low utilisation with a few trains during the night and staff often 'hanging around', needing welfare facilities, parking...

 

[StephenHunter]

Euston, Paddington and Liverpool Street still have pretty easy road access to at least some of their platforms.

 

[Meerkat]

Euston, Paddington and Liverpool Street still have pretty easy road access to at least some of their platforms.

These days I can imagine some lively debate around the safety case for delivery vans being driven onto platforms! Without trains there is a van on track danger, with trains you are mixing moving vans and staff wheeling roller cages about.

 

[BenW390Fan]

Euston, Paddington and Liverpool Street still have pretty easy road access to at least some of their platforms.

These days I can imagine some lively debate around the safety case for delivery vans being driven onto platforms! Without trains there is a van on track danger, with trains you are mixing moving vans and staff wheeling roller cages about.

They could add a dedicated mail platform with a direct link for delivery vans onto the road (via private access obviously)

 

[Meerkat]

They could add a dedicated mail platform with a direct link for delivery vans onto the road (via private access obviously)

Where?

 

[Gostav]

These days I can imagine some lively debate around the safety case for delivery vans being driven onto platforms! Without trains there is a van on track danger, with trains you are mixing moving vans and staff wheeling roller cages about.

Really？I don't think van and trailer on a goods platform is danger, in the continent, (Only what I observed: Czechia, Slovakia, Russia and Switzerland) most passenger stations have goods platform and shed, many of them are closed but still have a lot keep in business. Yet, I have heard some accidents but most are minor.

 

[221129]

Really？I don't think van and trailer on a goods platform is danger, in the continent, (Only what I observed: Czechia, Slovakia, Russia and Switzerland) most passenger stations have goods platform and shed, many of them are closed but still have a lot keep in business. Yet, I have heard some accidents but most are minor.

But there are very few if any 'goods platforms' available for use in the UK.

 

[StephenHunter]

But there are very few if any 'goods platforms' available for use in the UK.

Most of them got turned into car parks.

 

[Dr Hoo]

It isn't the 'vehicle safety' issue that particularly concerns me. 'Cross-docking'is a well-established process in a variety of logistics operations. It is mainly the point about the scalability of any trial.

So far as I can see from coverage of the trial there was one empty roll-cage moved in the wheelchair space on an un-modified idle Class 319. I am not even clear if it was taken anywhere by road from Euston but obviously a simple move into a Luton van with a tail lift wouldn't be too much of a problem.

Now imagine a 12-car formation, loaded with hundreds of heavy roll-cages on behalf of multiple light logistics companies or customers heading for numerous final destinations in a fleet of electric vehicles after sequence-controlled-loading.

Hmm...

 

[StephenHunter]

Doesn't need to be 12-car formation. 4 would be enough. BR regularly converted old DMUs and EMUs for parcels workings.

 

[Dr Hoo]

Doesn't need to be 12-car formation. 4 would be enough. BR regularly converted old DMUs and EMUs for parcels workings.

Noting that the FOCs have only managed to maintain their tiny occasional profits in recent years (pre-virus) by running ever-longer and heavier trains, let alone competition for scarce paths, I can hardly imagine that squadrons of 4-car 'parcels' units tying up platforms and crews are seen as very appealing.

BR's Rail Express Systems sector found it virtually impossible to make money even with a far great 'legacy' terminal capability than that which exists nowadays.

 

[Meerkat]

Really？I don't think van and trailer on a goods platform is danger, in the continent, (Only what I observed: Czechia, Slovakia, Russia and Switzerland) most passenger stations have goods platform and shed, many of them are closed but still have a lot keep in business. Yet, I have heard some accidents but most are minor.

Goods platforms and cross docking normally involves reversing road vehicles up to a platform such that roll cages/fork lifts can go straight in. The operatives are on the platform, not down where vehicles are manoeuvring. The suggestions for Euston etc would have vehicles driving around on the platforms with the people.

 

[StephenHunter]

Don't they already do that with catering supplies for the trains and other stuff, like bedding for the sleepers?