The transport and logistics innovation week, SITL 2022, brought together from April 5 to 8 in Paris, the most innovative players in the freight, logistics industry and supply chain sectors.
While trade is constantly increasing, the solutions to reduce polluting emissions are multiple. They range from the decarbonization of vehicles to modal shift, that is to say the choice of the most respectful mode of transport. The railway has its part in this and seems to be changing to meet these expectations.
Luc Chaumette, industry, digital and innovation director at Rail Logistic Europe, talks about the train, freight of the future.
“First, the challenge is about massification, i.e. the ability to put a lot of wagons together to make large, long, heavier trains. It also means making interoperable trains, which are not limited to national territory, but also quieter, which do not generate nuisance for the neighborhood.”
Luc Chaumette, Rail Logistic Europeat franceinfo
On the 15,000 kilometers of non-electrified tracks where railcars are used, most often diesel or hybrid, we imagine clean and modular solutions between passengers and freight. The French company Lohr has notably developed the Draisy, a small light train, intended for short lines and which operates on batteries. This same company also develops urban, autonomous and modular shuttles by hooking them together.
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Marie-José Navarre, president of Lohr, explains: “Depending on the time of day, we have a solution that offers 1 to 4 coupled vehicles. Capacity must be made available to passengers when they need it. It’s useless to have a big twelve-meter electric bus with three tons of batteries when there are only two passengers in it.”
Most cities were erected near rivers or rivers, as it was one of the main logistics routes for centuries. Transport by river, one of the most virtuous modes, is however underused while the French network, which extends over 8500 kilometers, is the largest in Europe.
“The river convoy represents approximately 220 trucks. Per tonne transported, it emits 5 times less CO2 than other modes of transport.”
Thierry Gimbaud, director of the inland waterways of Franceat franceinfo
For the strong comeback of river transport, it seems necessary to innovate, above all by improving the energy of the river fleet. Thus, the Waterways of France finance innovations for engines using electric motors, natural gas and hydrogen.
This is all the more important since the river mode will be honored at the next Olympic Games, as Thierry Guimbaud points out: “The opening ceremony itself will be carried out with around forty clean boats. Beyond that, the entire river will benefit from these advances.”
However, logistics can only be conceived with all the means of transport, which are becoming less and less competitive and more and more complementary.
Watch the chronicle in video.