Project: Assessment of the Economics of Alternative Rail Car Designs for Ocean
Container Movement
Client: Class 1 Freight Railroad
Several different car designs were evaluated in this project, which compared the costs of container movement over two routes in solid trains of each equipment type. Train length and weight were variables in the analysis, as were locomotive assignments.
A computerized train simulation model was used to evaluate train performance and estimate fuel consumption, track maintenance costs, crew costs, and the costs of equipment ownership and maintenance. External adjustments were made to the model results to account for bridge damage resulting from heavy axle loads, derailment costs, and the cost of necessary clearance work for some of the car types. For each route simulated, cost curves were produced for a range of average container weights, and the least-cost equipment type was identified.