TR@IN-MD : the Intelligent Railway Transport for Hazardous Goods

MINARY Bertrand1, LOZAC'H Jean-Philippe2

1SNCF Freight Activity, Paris, France, 2SNCF Innovation & Research, Paris, Paris

Abstract

Hazardous goods traffic should rise up of 35 % until 2020. SNCF Freight Activity wants to enhance its presence and concurrence in a traffic that represented in 2002 16 millions of tons, which represents 5,9 billion tons kilometers. Due to the regulation hardening for such products, logistic operators must react by improving their process: a better monitoring, in particular with tracking and tracing, and developing innovative services for customers. The TR@IN-MD project aims to develop and experiment in real conditions an innovation system able to better manage the hazardous goods traffic by providing tracing facilities with GPS / GSM / GPRS (GALILEO pre-ready) balises and remote real-time diagnosis with the help of innovative sensors embedded on wagons. These on-board equipments will communicate with a new information system with specific MMI for the different needs of central and local railway actors. Services such as positioning and fleet management will be offered to customers. The system will be first experimented on about 30 wagons on national and international hazardous chemicals traffics during 2006-2008. The TR@IN-MD project is supported by the French Land Transport Research program PREDIT, and mobilizes the competences of a consortium of 9 partners lead by SNCF.

Context of the TR@IN-MD

Definition of the hazardous goods (HG)

Hazardous goods are products or substances belonging, because of their nature or due to regulations, to the nine classes of hazardous goods. These substances or products are considered as dangerous during their transport due to possible consequences on mankind, environment, human property or environment [1].

Tendencies for hazardous goods transport

Most transport means can be used for HG transport: the road, railway, waterway, pipes and air transport, while this last mean relates to only a very small quantity of this traffic. In 1998 was released a deep study of HG transport in France [2]. The inland traffic of HG in France was distributed as follows: the road transport for 60% of transported tons, railway 35%, inland waterway 5%. Thus, the modal share of railway freight in this sector is higher than its average share in the whole transport (20 %). Fret SNCF transported in 2002 16 million tons of dangerous goods, whom 40 % of liquid gas products, 38 % of chemicals, which represents 5,9 billion tons kilometers and nearly 300 000 wagons from / to 600 freight stations in France. Generally, the growth for the traffic of the HG is expected of 35 % to 2020.

Hazardous goods regulations

The hazardous goods task force of the Economic and Social Council of the UN regularly releases new versions of their recommendations for the HG transport, which take into account recent technical progress, appearance of new dangerous matters and new building materials, the needs for the modern

systems of transport and, initially, the requirements for safety of people and property and environmental protection. Each transport mean covers particular constraints, there it exists own international legislations adapted from these UN recommendations (ADR for road, IMDG for the sea transport, IATA for the air, RID for railway). These international texts are converted into national legislation (in France, the "Arrêté RID" for rail transport). Lastly, for rail transport, SNCF defines and applies its own rules reinforcing the mandatory rules (eg: forbidden to cross HG with passengers train in tunnel; a operating centre for managing HG traffic in France called Presence Fret, specific following of freight trains containing HG, etc).

RID regulation

The RID regulation excludes certain objects and matters from transport and specifies the conditions under which the other hazardous goods are transported. More or less 3 500 products are authorized, with specific identification and coding.

Figure 1: HG railway tank Figure 2: RID danger labels

The safety and security of hazardous goods transport

The reinforcement of safety during transport

Safety and security are nowadays-constant concerns, which are in the heart of all debates. Transport operators must – and more and more - improve their control on the goods, which are given to them - particularly for HG transport that can generate serious accidents. Then the regulation of HG transport is complex, so that it strictly restricts the access to the freights and the safety of actors.

Safety aspects

The CNSIF study that the road countered 190 accidents and incidents on HG transport on the year 2000, including 46 with wounds due to the nature of the product, product leakage of more than 100l, gas explosion or fire. [3] In parallel, SNCF listed 29 major events over a 24 years period between 1976 and 2000, in majority fires, whom 5 on marshalling yards with consequences on underground and water. The SNCF sustainable development report recalls that more than 95% of the HG events are incidents and that are "mainly of small leakages due to bad closings of bodies or defects of the material. Most of

the times, they are "non-events" due to personal errors expressing at the same time the difficulties of the diagnosis and the great attention of this traffic". [4]

Figure 3: loading of a gas railway tank The rolling stock used for the HG transport - in great majority of rail tankers - are very well designed and maintained versus the potential dangers. The relative weakness seems to come from the use of the bodies of the materials by operators along the logistic chain. Most frequent events concern in very little liquid drop leakages, odours or the release of the valves of safety - in the immense majority without consequences for the men and the environment, that can impact more or less the railway production (marshalling yard limitation, lines closing, etc).

Security aspects

After the events of September 2001, the RID regulation takes into account the freight security (new article call "1.10" released on July 1st 2005 classifies high risks products). In particular, it is recommend using supervision systems. SNCF anticipated this regulation reinforcement by setting up a safety plan primarily based on existing organizations and structures. Secondary, the TR@IN-MD project was developed, in order to reinforce requirements of the new regulation 1.10 and anticipate the future ones.

The TR@IN-MD project

Project organisation

The TR@IN-MD project (le TRAnsport Intelligent des Marchandises Dangereuses) is promoted by Fret SNCF and driven by SNCF Innovation & Research, Rolling Stock and Engineering Departments. The planning runs on 36 months, from 2006 to 2008. The TR@IN-MD project is supported by the French Research Program for Land Transport (PREDIT) around a consortium gathering 8 other partners (CEA, SAPHYMO, INRETS, SOLVAY, ERMEWA-SATI, LIGERON, MARTEC, TEMEX) for a total budget of about 4,34 M€.

Customers' requirements

To keep in good position in the concurrence competition, Fret SNCF must be able to propose new services to its customers. They require information delivered 24 hours a day to be kept informed of the position, the state of their goods and the schedule of delivery. Today, there are solutions for the follow-up of whole trains (engines equipped with GPS-GSM equipment). But the follow-up of the single wagons is more difficult because they can be stationed out of a train (changing in marshalling yard, freight station...). In addition, the diagnosis of the state of the goods is particularly significant for the freight operator to be

ensured of the good conditions until the handing-over of the goods (example: stability of the pressure in a gases tanks).

SNCF requirements

SNCF actors of the production, marketing, technique, safety and safety processes were consulted to establish the functions of the system TR@IN-MD. The interests can thus be divided in five axes: § To accelerate the treatment of the HG events, by providing reliable information to the actors. It is

a question of precisely identifying the wagon, the goods type and the customer, the causes, the gravity level to make the operator concentrates on the management of the event.

§ To anticipate the consequences of an event and the re-establishment of transport planning, by visualizing as fast as possible the impacted freight resources freight (slots, engines, drivers, wagons) directly or indirectly touched by the event.

§ To reinforce the safety of transport, while ensuring the conformity and the state of the goods along its transport. This can be also contributing to clearly identify the responsibilities in case of an event.

§ To provide new services to the customers, initially the tracing and tracing of goods linked with the new products range of services provided by Fret SNCF.

§ To optimize the management of fleet of the wagons, by remotely diagnosing their state and studying a posteriori the movements to optimize the scheduling.

All these functionalities must be available at the international range.

Aims of the projects

The TR@IN-MD project aims the implementation of an innovative supervision system of HG traffics, based both on on-board and ground equipments connecting the concerned actors. The functionalities provided by the system will integrate: § Real-time and delayed tracking and tracing information, relayed to internal SNCF actors and

customers through the Fret SNCF customers Web portal. § Detection of abnormal movements or staying of wagons. § Information for the management fleet of wagon, with indication of the state empty or loaded and

can be back analysed. § Real-time diagnosis of the wagon and its goods state (leakage or abnormal pression or

temperature detection, detecting moving of bodies, etc). The TR@IN-MD project aims at providing: § A better quality of service passing by a new service offered to the customers, which should

make it possible to the conveyor to collect new shares of market. § A reduction of the risks of incidents and accidents for the transport of hazardous matters. § New solutions for on-board equipment able to be used in the sensitive environment of the

HG. § A progressive extension of the concept to transport other types of goods than the dangerous

matters. § A better performance of the freight railway transport. § An European opening with the interoperability of the components of the on-board system.

The system will be tested with a real demonstrator. It is planed to equip thirty wagons transporting dangerous matters nationally and internationally (gas, chemicals...). Demonstrations should begin in the middle of 2006 until 2008, implementing progressively the functionalities. Some common demonstrations will be carried out with other French projects such as TEMPO-ARTS (safety and security management of the HG traffic) and SISTTEMS (intermodal tracking and tracing).

Technical developments in TR@IN-MD

Technical architecture

The TR@IN-MD project calls upon the use of new communication and information technologies for transport (Intelligent Transport Systems), which find their full relevance in very complex operations, such as hazardous goods traffic.

Figure 4: technical architecture of the TR@IN-MD system

The TR@IN-MD system breaks up into 3 important parts: § The embarked balise (including geolocalisation, telecommunications and management of

embedded sensors). § The system of sensors (on-board on the coach). § The information system.

State of the art

There were (and there is) plenty experimentations of real time supervision of traffic and goods. However, the pass to operational gives organisational difficulties (multiplicity of the actors, shared of important investments) and technical difficulties. Rail freight uses the NTIC still little. The on-board equipment is today used for the management of the locomotives. The deployment of this equipment for wagons applications remains delicate. Initially for economic reasons which led until now ensuring to investments on specific wagons fleet, then for technical reasons concerning particularly the durability, the autonomy (maintenance operations are made only 4 or even 5 years) and the resistance to the hard railway environment (dust, vibrations, shocks, degradations, steal...). The TR@IN-MD project will have thus at the same time to develop innovative solutions (sensors for the detection of chemical components in the air, GPS/GSM/GALILEO ready balises with intrinsic electronic safety...) and to mitigate the current lack of solutions with the development of specific components (pressure, leakage, …), while adapting other ones (telecommunication means, data-processing networks).

On-board equipment: balises

The system must be able to go up information from the wagons thanks to the on-board balises. Problems of autonomy and satellite and telecom covering will be treated, mainly to prevent in the case of an alert. The identified problems are as an example the zones of noncover GSM and/or GPS/EGNOS/GALILEO, even at international range (for example single wagons in far freight stations, in tunnel, very weak GSM cover, ...). Alternative solutions for emergency alarm must be proposed if necessary, almost in the case of failure.

On-board equipment: sensors

Sensors must be able to be laid out with several sites on the wagon. They will meet the expressed needs: § Monitoring in real time the pressure and the temperature, particularly for the products transported

to very bases temperature (argon, nitrogenizes liquid...). Indeed, the overpressure of gases involves sometimes the inopportune release of the valves of safety.

§ Leak detection for chemicals. § The inopportune opening of valves, doors and domes...

Taking into account the context, the work concerns several points for the network of sensors: § Energy management allowing to constraints of longevity. § Reliability and robustness in an aggressive environment (excursion in temperature, vibrations,

shocks, etc.), while not requiring maintenance. § Study and design of an autonomous electronic architecture

Information system

The information system makes possible to accelerate the treatment of a HG event while making as fast as possible relay an alarm to concerned actors (freight operators, railway infrastructure managers, ...). Moreover, connected to the existing information systems, TR@IN-MD will allow to quickly start the adequate procedures according to the defined levels of gravity. Taking into account the application, the following aspects are studied in the project: § Exact definition of the awaited functional requirements: to identify the users and their trade, on

the plans quantitative and qualitative, to count the operational and statistical functionalities awaited, to quantify the level of expected performances (criticality, availability, safety, response time, archival life...) and applicable constraints of exploitation (safeguard, maintainability...).

§ To specify MMI interfaces of the system for each identified type of user. § To specify specific processing in the database for users (eg, detecting stopped wagons).

The data provided by the system could also be treated back to set up corrective actions, in particular for safety and management of fleet aspects. The project will define the adequate modes, in the frame of the future system of navigation GALILEO. The specified system will be designed to function with the assistance of the network reserved for railway sector GMS-R. Of the same, the Technical Specifications of Interoperability (TSI) will be thus considered, with initially the future TSI Freight Telematics. The new information system will be interfaced with the SNCF information system. This system will be carried on Intranet the SNCF and to some extent on an Internet site.

References

[1] United Nations definitions [2] Report « Vers un management environnemental pour le transport ferroviaire de MD », SNCF, 1998. [3] Etude sur le Transport de Marchandises Dangereuses, CNISF, G. DOBIAS, 2002.

[4] "Vers un management environnemental pour le transport ferroviaire de marchandises dangereuses", SNCF, 1997.