Rail Freight transportation might be cost-efficient and environmentally friendlier. But it has some major disadvantages too. What are they? In this blog, we will discuss rail freight and meet some of the companies.
Rail freight transport is the usage of railroads and trains to transport cargo on land. It can be used for transporting various kinds of goods all, or some of the way between the shipper and the intended destination. A few examples of cargo that rails transport are: Agriculture, automotive, chemicals, raw construction material, energy (coal, oil, wind turbines), forest productions.
Freight trains can haul bulk cargo, standardized shipping containers, or specially designed cars for a specific type of freight.
There is a 1.1 millions KM line of railroads worldwide. America takes the biggest share out of this – 32%. Then comes Asia with 30%, Europe – 24%.
The statistics from last year show that rail freight traffic has a growing tendency worldwide, with an exception of Africa. Only in 2019, goods traveled approximately 3.1 billion tonne-kilometers by rail in Europe and Turkey. This number was almost 3.5 billion tonne-kilometers in Asia/Oceania and the Middle East.
Rail freight is much faster than ocean freight. It is more expensive than sea freight but cheaper than air freight. Moving goods by train is perfect for high-value industrial products such as vehicles, electronics, and computer equipment, as well as promotional equipment that must reach their final destination as quickly as possible.
Rail freight can be one of the most efficient means of transportation if we consider energy consumption, as well. Precisely, six times lower than the road. Especially, when the cargo is hauled over long distances. Moreover, there are fewer incidents on the railroads, than on the road.
