Modernization of marshalling yards in North America. How a railway marshalling yard works in the USA Large and beautiful train stations in the world

Today, the largest two-way marshalling yard in the world is Bailey Yard, owned by the Union Pacific railroad. The station is located in North Platte (Nebraska, USA), has a length of almost 13 km and covers an area of ​​more than 1.1 thousand hectares.

The placement of sorting devices at the station, the grouping of tracks into parks and connections are determined by historical development and local operating conditions. Large track development (114 tracks) with reserves of up to 25% ensures high throughput and processing capacity and unhindered reception of trains during peak load periods.

Every day the station handles about 10 thousand freight cars. Of these, approximately 3 thousand cars are processed at two hump sorting systems - “western” and “eastern”. When operating at maximum productivity, four cars roll down these slides every minute, which are then sent to the parks, where the final stage of train formation takes place. In total, the slides have 18 receiving and 16 departure tracks. In the repair shop, three fully equipped repair and equipment tracks allow you to perform the entire range of operations necessary for car repairs in one place. On average, 50 cars are repaired per day. In addition to repairs based on actual condition, the workshop also performs scheduled preventive inspections of rolling stock. According to current regulations, wagons must be inspected every 1,000 miles (1.6 thousand km) run. Minor repairs are carried out within 1 hour, which makes it possible to quickly return repaired cars to the train. The maximum productivity of the repair shop is 18–20 cars per hour when working in three shifts (around the clock). Traffic control throughout the station is carried out from the Bailey Command Center using modern computer technology. The station control center is directly connected to the Traffic Control Center named after. Harriman in Omaha is the main dispatch center for the Union Pacific road, controlling traffic on the entire network of this road in 23 US states. Bailey Yard is also the main production base of Union Pacific Fruit Express, a subsidiary of Union Pacific that specializes in the transportation of fresh fruits and vegetables and has a fleet of more than 5,500 refrigerated cars designed for this purpose. Maintenance and repairs of these carriages are usually also carried out at Bailey Yard. Technical control over the operation of refrigerated equipment (maintaining the required temperature), refueling, etc. is also carried out there. The placement of refueling and maintenance centers for locomotives in the western and eastern sorting systems of the station made it possible to reduce the time for preparing locomotives for departure by 12 hours. performed by 180 people. Maintenance of more than 8.5 thousand locomotive traction engines is carried out per month. On average, approximately 300 locomotives undergo maintenance per day. The station houses a locomotive repair shop - one of the largest on the Union Pacific network. Its territory is larger than the area of ​​three football fields. The number of workshop personnel is approximately 600 workers, the productivity (with round-the-clock operation) is 750 locomotives per day. The workshop has 11 tracks and is equipped with all the necessary technical means, including overhead cranes, platforms that allow working at elevated levels, etc.

In recent years, the number of coal block trains passing through Bailey Yard has increased significantly (32 per day). Such trains do not require reorganization, and at the station only the technical condition of the cars is checked, the necessary maintenance is carried out, and the locomotives are refueled. Transit (through) tracks were built at the station specifically for the passage of such trains. The share of block trains has now reached 70% of the total train traffic.

As the energy needs of the region it serves have increased, Union Pacific has built 10 additional dispatch tracks and a coal depot in the western station system, where coal cars are accumulated to form trains. The seven reserve tracks can currently accommodate up to 450 cars. It is planned to further strengthen the track development of the park, thanks to which it will be able to simultaneously accommodate up to 1.5 thousand cars.

A detector device is installed in the eastern neck of the station, which X-rays the wheels of coal train cars in order to timely detect defects. The check is carried out while the train is moving and does not require stopping the train.

In the USA, marshalling yards widely use automation systems for sorting processes, computer technology and new highly efficient mechanisms and devices: radar speedometers, electrodynamic retarders, car seaters, instruments for measuring wind speed and direction, installations for measuring the degree of track filling and controlling car retarders, high-speed turnouts etc. The use of mobile communication devices, with the help of which the processing of trains and wagons from arrival to departure is supported, is of great importance in the work of personnel. The introduction of new mobile communication systems can significantly reduce operating costs.

In recent years, in North America, at large Class I railroad marshalling yards, a transition has been made from local automation devices for individual operations to continuously operating control systems for the disbandment and formation of trains.

Thus, the Selkirk, New York, marshalling yard was designed to operate under digital computer control. The dismantling of a 150-car train, supported by automated train dismantling and hump automatic signaling systems, lasts less than 1 hour. The station's processing capacity is over 3.2 thousand cars per day. In this case, the number of wagon destinations can reach up to 70.

Selkirk station's reception fleet includes 11 tracks with a capacity of 156 cars each. As the train approaches the depot, the station attendant gives the driver the number of the receiving route, which is displayed in the cab on the control panel. At the same time, the arrival time of the train is recorded. The progress of the train is monitored by electronic sensors, based on the signals of which the switches are automatically controlled.

Checking the compliance of the arriving train with the data on the full-scale sheet is carried out using a semi-automatic television reading system. Based on the full-scale sheet and the inspection results, the computer compiles a train sorting list, which, together with the receiving track number and code numbers of the sorting tracks, is entered into the computer that controls the dismantling process.

In the reception park, arriving trains are inspected and prepared for disbandment. The carriage number is checked as you approach the hump of the hump. If no discrepancies are found, the car is uncoupled and goes down the hill. In automatic mode, under computer control, the route for rolling it to the prescribed sorting path is established.

During the process of dismantling the car at control sections in front of the main and group brake positions, its speed is measured, and automated calculations of acceleration, rolling resistance, and friction characteristics are performed. This ensures a safe collision for wagons and cargo when coupling on the sorting track. Upon completion of the dissolution of the train, a special statement is prepared automatically and can be printed, which indicates the sorting track and the location of each of the cars on this track.

It should be noted that due to a decrease in traffic volumes on the railways of North America, the load on marshalling yards has decreased. However, Class I railways continue to modernize them in anticipation of traffic growth in the future. For example, the Chicago Belt Railway, Illinois, regularly upgrades the sorting equipment and control systems of the Bedford hump yard to achieve a maximum processing capacity of up to 3,500 cars per day.

In order to optimize the sorting process and minimize damage to cars, the PROYARD information and control system manufactured by General Electric Transportation Systems (GETS) was installed at the marshalling yards of large class I railroads in the USA and Canada. Upon arrival of wagons at the marshalling yard, automatic identification system devices read data from wagon markers, which the PROYARD system compares with those received from the transportation service, confirming or correcting them.

The cars then pass through scales and a series of sensors that measure their performance. This data is entered into the PROYARD system, as well as information about weather conditions, the slope of the hump and the distance that each car must travel before connecting with those standing on the tracks in the park. The system determines the braking power of the retarders of the three braking positions necessary to ensure the optimal speed of rolling off the cuts, which excludes premature stopping of the lowered car or damage to the cargo when it collides with a standing car at an unacceptably high speed. Inertial retarders hold the wagon couplings on the classification tracks.

Before the installation of the PROYARD system, more than half of the total number of car collisions occurred at speeds above 9.6 km/h. Once the system is put into operation, the permissible speed is not violated in 90% of cases. The number of carriage derailments caused by unacceptably high speeds has decreased by 60% over the past 15 years. During the same period, the technological process was revised and the working conditions of the station personnel were improved. As a result, the number of cars staying at the station for more than 48 hours was reduced by 75%. In addition, a set of measures taken, including the creation of a response group headed by the head of the risk management service, helped reduce the number of errors when sorting cars by 60%.

The Canadian company Canadian National has implemented the PROYARD II system to improve the productivity of the McMillan marshalling yard, located north of Toronto. This station has a hump with two thrust tracks and 76 classification tracks. Two main retarders control the speed of the released cars at the first braking position, nine group retarders (five on the western side and four on the eastern side) - at the second. The company replaced the old electromechanical retarders with new hydraulic ones from AAA Sales & Engineering.

Previously, the station processed from 1.8 thousand to 2 thousand cars per day. After modernization, the hump with two thrust tracks made it possible to increase processing to 3.2 thousand cars per day. After installation of the PROYARD II system, productivity is expected to increase to at least 3.3 thousand cars with the prospect of increasing to 4.2 thousand cars per day.

Currently, the LRC remote control system is used to supply the locomotive to the cars requiring sorting. This process is controlled by the slide operator. The locomotive pushes the cars up the hill at a speed of 24 km/h. If the connection between the cars and any transceiver located along the route along the sorting track is disrupted, the system is switched off. When the locomotive approaches the top of the hill, the transceiver transmits a command to the locomotive's computer to reduce the speed to 16 km/h.

The functions of the PROYARD II system include determining the dismantling speed depending on a number of factors, including the type of cargo in the car. Wagons with dangerous goods are lowered at a speed of about 2.8 km/h, with other goods - 4 km/h. The computer allows you to accurately determine the moment the car reaches the top of the hill and control its further movement. As a result of the introduction of a new automated system, the number of cars staying at the station for more than 2 days decreased by 75%, and the number of errors during sorting operations decreased by 60%.

Union Pacific upgrades one of its 12 rail yards each year, replacing computer systems, Automatic Railcar Identification readers, information displays and control center equipment. Thus, after modernization, the Inglewood marshalling yard in Houston processes up to 3 thousand cars daily (before modernization - 1.6–1.8 thousand cars). The station slide has a height of 17 m, three thrust paths, two of which can be used simultaneously. The marshalling yard has 64 tracks, one main and eight group retarders (each with seven or eight tracks) and 64 retarders on sections without slope.

Sorting takes place according to a certain scheme. Almost the entire process is fully automated. First, a booster section is attached to the tail of the train, which consists of two SD40-2R locomotives and an S2B booster. Despite the presence of a fuel tank, the booster does not have diesel engines and takes energy for electric traction motors from a diesel locomotive. The fuel tank is used by both diesel locomotives as an additional capacity for fuel. This allows you to work for a long time without refueling. The need for booster sections is determined solely by the weight of the train and the height of the hump, since it is impossible to manage with one shunting locomotive when pushing a train weighing 12 thousand tons onto the hump.

Each carriage is equipped with a special sensor, which is read by a computer before hitting the hill. This gives the dispatcher information about the wagon or cut, the nature of the cargo and its purpose. Next, the car is sent to the scales, then uncoupled from the train by a release mechanism and rolls down the hill onto the desired track.

When rolling, the car passes through a retarder, which reduces its speed for smooth tangential coupling. This process is controlled by a computer, which calculates the distance required to reach the clutch with the train already standing on the track, and, based on the weight of the car, calculates the required braking force in the retarders. Any hard impacts of wagons are unacceptable. Heavier trains move in reinforced sections; they have three diesel locomotives and a booster. The power of such a section is 12 thousand hp, weight - 700 tons. When the train is already assembled, a mainline locomotive is attached to the opposite side, which picks it up. At this time, on the other hand, work may continue to “add up” shunting diesel locomotives to the train of the last cars that arrived late and did not pass through the hump.

Railroad turnouts controlled from the LRC remote control. Operator with LRC system console.

In recent years, there has been a very rapid change of generations of diesel locomotives and traditional locomotives with only one diesel engine are being taken out of service. They are being replaced by a new generation of fuel-efficient diesel locomotives, both hybrids and multi-diesel units. For example, the RP20GE diesel locomotive, which replaced obsolete locomotives for shunting work, is equipped with three independent diesel engines with a common gearbox. The driver can turn on any combination of diesel engines at any time. Rated power – 2100 hp. with a constant traction force of 36 tf. There are varieties of diesel locomotive: RP20BD - with a shortened base for passing small radius curves, also with three diesel engines, and RP20BH - on the same base, but with two diesel engines and a battery.

Many diesel locomotives at stations operate without drivers and are controlled by a dispatcher. These locomotives are equipped with flashing signal lights to attract the attention of personnel on the tracks (new diesel locomotives are not marked with them, since the personnel know that they are operating under remote control). A diesel locomotive can be controlled either by a dispatcher from the control building or by a driver with a control panel located on the tracks. By the way, booster sections also work without drivers.

The company has developed a technical specification for a transportation management system, the functions of which include monitoring operations at marshalling yards. The contract for the construction of this system was awarded to Proficient Solutions International.

Training employees in the basics of operating the new control system was of great importance in increasing the productivity of the marshalling yard by 15–20%. The transition from data analysis in a text format, the only one possible when using computers of the first generations, to a graphical one, supported by software in the Windows environment, required intensive training both in terms of learning software tools and in terms of understanding new forms of data presentation, their interpretation and analysis.

Union Pacific continues to modernize its marshalling yards and plans to introduce remote control of locomotives to improve productivity through greater automation of the marshalling process. Remote control has already been put into operation at the Hinckley yard in Oregon. It is planned to introduce this system at five more stations.

Burlington Northern Santa Fe previously built the Argentine marshalling yard in Kansas City, designed to process up to 2,400 cars daily. In fact, after modernization, the processing capacity of the station is 2.6–2.9 thousand cars per day.

Each car going down the hill passes through a 42-cylinder pneumatic main retarder and six positions with 30-cylinder retarders. Switches distribute cars across 10 sorting tracks, where their speed is dampened by seven-cylinder retarders. Piston retarders reduce the speed of movement of cars to 5.6–7.2 km/h, which is required for safe coupling. Rails brake retarders help keep cars on the downhill side of the classification track.

The sorting tracks (60 tracks) have a length from 580 to 1068 m, 10 receiving and 10 departure tracks - 2440 m. The slope and length of the sorting tracks are taken into account when regulating the rolling speed of cars.

The reconstruction of the Jerry R. Davis station (USA) made it possible to increase its capacity, provide higher speed and efficiency in managing the process of disbanding cars and forming trains, while reducing operating costs and train delays. The station receives and dispatches an average of 60 trains per day.

Currently, it is a fully computerized system with one station dispatcher monitoring all technological operations performed. The station's processing capacity is 2.2 thousand cars per day. Its most important difference from other North American marshalling yards is the installation of almost 7 thousand Trackmaster point hydraulic piston retarders from the British company Ultra Dynamics Ltd.

Foreign railways are aimed at increasing the volume of processing of car flows even during a period of decline in traffic and at modernizing crucial marshalling stations in the future.

B.S. Kostyuk, General Director of Tema LLC

P.V. Kurenkov, Deputy Director of the Institute of Management and Information Technologies of MIIT for scientific work

M.A. Nekhaev, graduate student I.R. Ruvinov, graduate student

Text and photos based on materials from foreign sources

Traveling by train will probably never lose popularity.

It doesn’t matter whether you are riding on an old steam locomotive through British villages, or rushing through snow and blizzards along the Trans-Siberian Railway - there is always an interesting and exciting route.

For those who love to travel by rail, the topic:

10. Jakarta Kota (Indonesia).
The largest train station in Southeast Asia, Jakarta Kota Station, located in the Indonesian capital, was built in 1870. After a major renovation early in 1926, the number of boarding platforms at the station was increased to 12. The huge building houses many shops, several food courts, toilets, ATMs and even a mosque. Jakarta Kota has significant historical and cultural significance in Indonesia, and has been officially recognized as a historical and cultural landmark of Jakarta since 1993, which has caused an additional influx of tourists to the city.

Jakarta Kota serves passenger routes on the island of Java through Gambir, Jantinegara, Pasar Senen and three routes of the KRL Jabotabek train network.

9. Berlin Central Station (Germany).
Berlin Central Station was built on the site of Lehrt Station, which was destroyed during World War II. After opening in 2006, Berlin Central Station became the largest station in Europe with a multi-level platform layout, 6 of which are located on the top and 8 on the lower level. The paths intersect with each other through a system of tunnels and bridges, while the main building is made of glass and steel. 44,000 square meters of the station area are allocated for the commercial zone, most of which is occupied by a shopping center with 80 stores. In addition, the station building houses a baggage sorting center, luggage storage, parking and several points with free Wi-Fi. The station serves about 300,000 passengers daily.





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8. Chhatrapati Shivaji Station (India).
Chhatrapati Shivaji Station is not only one of the largest, but also one of the most beautiful stations in the world, and also one of the historical attractions of Mumbai. The station was built during the British colonial era in 1888, and was originally named Victoria Terminus after Queen Victoria. In 1996, the station was renamed in honor of the national hero of India Chhatrapati Shivaji. In 2004, this beautiful building was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, which increased the already considerable flow of tourists. Chhatrapati Shivaji includes platforms for suburban electric trains, giving a total of 18 boarding platforms and securing the 8th position in the ranking of the largest stations.

7. Leipzig Central Station (Germany).
Leipzig station is the largest in Europe in terms of area - 83,460 sq.m., and the length of its facade is almost 300 m. The station is multi-level and serves about 120,000 passengers per day. The original project was commissioned in 1915, but during the Second World War the building was heavily damaged and was completely rebuilt in the 50s. The second reconstruction, this time in the 90s, brought the total number of landing platforms to 24, which puts it in 7th place in the world in terms of this indicator.





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6. Zurich Central Station (Switzerland).
Zurich Central Station is the largest and busiest train station in Switzerland. It opened in 1847, has been rebuilt and expanded several times, and now serves about 400,000 passengers daily. The station has 16 platforms for long-distance trains and 10 for high-speed trains EuroCity, Cisalpino, TGV, Intercity-Express and CityNightLine. In total, these 26 platforms allow about a thousand trains to depart from the station per day. In addition to passenger records, Zurich Station also holds a record for the size of its indoor shopping area - 55,000 sq.m. There is a shopping center Shop-Ville HB, a cinema and other entertainment venues.





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5. Termini (Italy).
Rome's Termini station, opened in 1862, still holds the second place in terms of area among all European stations, second only to Leipzig in this indicator. Trains to Paris, Vienna, Munich, Geneva and Basel, as well as local passenger trains and numerous commuter trains depart from the station's 29 platforms. The total daily passenger traffic of Termini exceeds 400,000, which adds up to 150 million passengers per year.





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4. Munich Main Station (Germany).
Munich station is the 4th in the world and 2nd in Europe in terms of the number of platforms, of which there are 32. The original building was built in 1839, but, like most transport hubs in Germany, it was heavily damaged during the war. A major reconstruction took place in 1960, after which the station was able to receive several hundred thousand passengers daily, and today its daily capacity has been increased to 450,000 passengers. The station building houses a huge number of shops, an underground shopping arcade, a children's museum and a hotel. In addition to 32 ground platforms, two underground rapid transit systems pass through Munich Main Station - S-Bahn (2 boarding platforms) and U-Bahn (6 more platforms).





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3. Shinjuku (Japan).
Built in 1885, Shinjuku Station is today the absolute champion in passenger traffic - 3.6 million people daily, and thanks to this it even got into the Guinness Book of Records. Moreover, the data is already outdated - for 2007, it is now quite possible that there were even more passengers. In order to serve such a mind-boggling number of passengers, the station is equipped with a total of more than 200 entrances and exits. Most of the 36 platforms are occupied by trains from local public transport systems; there are not many long-distance trains to Shinjuku.





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2. Gare du Nord (France).
Paris North Station holds the record in Europe for the number of platforms - 44, two of which are not available for public use and are reserved for special needs. Built in 1846, Gare du Nord still remains one of the most beautiful and majestic buildings in Paris and one of the symbols of Europe. Inside the station there are dozens of cafes, souvenir shops, newsagents, ticket counters and toilets (including toilets with changing facilities for babies). Projects for the subsequent expansion of the station involve its expansion to 77 boarding platforms, which will make it the absolute world champion in this indicator.

Techniques for optimizing and increasing the efficiency of Moscow freight stations.

The Moscow Railway is one of the most actively developing transport structures, in which freight traffic plays an important role. On the territory of the city (within the Moscow Ring Road) there are 44 freight stations with a total area of ​​1,692 hectares.

Due to the large area of ​​the occupied territories, proposals often appear to move freight yards and stations outside the city, but the existing freight flow, the needs of the city and the freight turnover of the Moscow railway hub do not allow these measures to be followed.

It is much more rational to follow the path of optimizing work at these stations, increasing the intensity of use of existing territories and freeing up part of the territories for the needs of the city. To consider possible methods for reorganizing these stations, it is necessary to assess the current state of the railway freight infrastructure.

According to the nature of the work carried out, freight stations can be divided into general purpose, sorting and intermediate stations, according to their location in the city into – central, middle and peripheral.

At general stations Loading, unloading and sorting of cargo is carried out. For these operations, a large cargo yard is located at the stations. The number of general purpose stations in Moscow is 12. Of these, two freight yards - Moscow - Rizhskaya and Moscow-Tovarnaya Yaroslavskaya - are closed.

The area of ​​general purpose stations in Moscow is 567.8 hectares. Most of these stations are concentrated in the central and middle part of the city.

Marshalling yards carry out work on sorting cars and forming trains. Due to the length of freight trains and the peculiarities of the technological process, these stations are the largest on the railways. And due to the peculiarities of the technological process for sorting cars, their work is associated with high noise and environmental pollution.

Despite the small number, there are only 6 of them in Moscow; marshalling stations occupy 549.6 hectares. Moreover, most of them are located in the middle part of the city.

Intermediate stations perform work on the access roads to the city for loading and unloading cargo. They may include small cargo yards. These stations represent an inconspicuous framework for the freight flow of the railways, as they transport goods to individual areas of the city. There are 26 of them and they occupy the remaining 574.6 hectares. Of these, 12 stations located on the Small Ring Railway (MKR) are closed for freight work.

In the future, it is planned to partially transfer transit traffic from the Moscow Circle and redistribute it to the Big Ring of the Moscow Railway. In order to maintain traffic along the Moscow Ring Railway, the reconstruction plan includes the construction of a third main track on the 37-kilometer section Presnya-Lefortovo-Andronovka-500-meter insert-15th connecting branch-Ugreshskaya-Lublino.

To determine the efficiency of the current use of freight station territories, the concept of station capacity should be introduced as the ratio of freight turnover per year per 1 hectare. As can be seen from the presented graph, a comparison of the operation of freight stations with each other demonstrates low power indicators.

Accordingly, increasing the density of use of the territory by increasing the vertical layout will reduce the occupied area and optimize work at these stations. It is noteworthy that the highest power was detected at the Moscow-Tovarnaya Paveletskaya station. The station management managed to achieve this by partially automating the loading and unloading process.

Techniques for optimizing freight stations based on the study of world and domestic experience can be systematized by the volume of work performed, the number of transport involved, the area of ​​container and unit storage, as well as the range of services provided. Based on this, it is possible to introduce a classification in accordance with each type: policy, complex and cluster.

Policy– the most extensive method for optimizing the operation of freight stations in terms of the amount of infrastructure involved. This type includes large hub stations and freight villages located outside the city. A distinctive feature of this type is the large area of ​​occupied territories, multimodality, and the use of three or more modes of transport.

In structure, a cargo village is an analogue of a seaport, where cargo arriving by one type of transport is immediately unloaded, undergoes customs clearance if necessary, processed, stored, distributed and sent to its destination by another mode of transport on the territory of the cargo village. Also on the territory there are offices, hotels, and residential settlements are being built nearby. This concept of intercepting freight policies near major cities has been developing since the 1970s.

In Germany there is an association of freight villages DGG. A large number of similar complexes are located in the USA and Europe. Near Berlin, with a population of 5 million people, there are 3 freight villages. In total, there are 35 cargo policies in Germany. In Italy there are 25, one of the largest is InterportoBologna, located in the center of the country and occupies 320 hectares.

In Russia, since 2011, the project of a cargo village in Vorsino, located in the south of Moscow, near the intersection of the M3 (Kyiv Highway), A 101 (Kaluzhskoe and Varshavskoe Highways) and A 108 (Moscow Big Ring) highways, has been actively developing. At the moment, the complex occupies an area of ​​120 hectares, which is planned to be developed to 600 hectares. A multimodal road and railway terminal was built on the territory.

Complex– medium-sized type of optimization. It includes transport and logistics and terminal logistics centers (TLC), container and piggyback terminals. The main task of this type is cargo processing and storage, customs clearance and information services. TLCs include free space for forwarding and transport companies, parking lots, and service stations.

As a rule, TLCs are located at the entrances to the city, as well as in its peripheral part near large hubs, marshalling stations and freight yards. Separately, it is worth mentioning complexes of the “dry port” type, in which process automation is used using port cranes on land, which makes it possible to increase the speed of cargo processing several times compared to the use of special equipment.

Cluster– the most compact type of optimization. A distinctive feature of this type is flexible modularity, the ability to expand the structure with an increase in the volume of cargo handling, as well as the ability to remove containers without moving them from place to place, which increases the speed of loading and unloading operations several times. The main part of this type is a multi-level container terminal, designed as a cluster with a large number of identical cells.

The idea of ​​creating such structures came from Japan. Since the main containers used for cargo work are 20 and 40 TEU, a cellular structure has been proposed, having a module for storing one 40 TEU container or two 20 TEU containers*. Loading of containers into cells is carried out by a special crane for unloading containers.

The structural basis is a metal frame. An example of such a cluster is a multi-level container terminal in Japan, built by JFE Engineering Corporation. The dimensions of the container terminal are 150x56 meters. Construction area – 8,400 sq. m, respectively. Height 31 meters (10-storey building). Cargo turnover – 49 containers per hour. Accordingly, 1,176 containers are processed per day on an area of ​​less than one hectare.

For comparison, the Moscow-Tovarnaya Paveletskaya station (one of the most efficient freight stations in Moscow) handles an average of 5,000 containers per day on an area of ​​52 hectares. Accordingly, the power of one of the most efficient stations in Moscow is 15 times lower than the proposed type.

Due to the fact that only 7 freight stations are located in the peripheral part of the city, the analysis allows us to conclude that the most relevant type for optimizing the volumetric-spatial organization of the territories of freight stations is a cluster.

In accordance with the types of existing stations identified at the beginning of the article, it can be assumed that complex or cluster optimization types are applicable for general purpose stations and intermediate stations, depending on the central, median or peripheral location of the station.

The natural reduction of freight stations due to the increase in passenger traffic on the Moscow Ring Railway, as well as the need to move transit cargo outside the city, leads to the creation of a ring of freight policies around Moscow, which will be located near railways and highways, as well as river and air transport.

Regarding marshalling stations, the analysis shows the need to move this type of station outside the city. The main reason for the impossibility of finding this type of station in the city is the large area of ​​occupied territories, technological features of sorting cars, making it impossible to transfer them underground or reduce the occupied territories through vertical planning.

The vacated territories of marshalling stations must be repurposed into cluster or complex types, and the remaining territories must be provided for urban needs. A preliminary calculation of the area that the city can obtain using these methods shows that two-thirds of the territories occupied by freight stations (about 1000 hectares) can be freed up painlessly for freight turnover and the needs of the city. At the same time, the return on investment in these methods of optimizing freight stations ranges from 5 to 10 years, depending on the volume of related work on the reorganization of territories.

Of course, the use of these methods is associated with a high level of costs. However, the socio-economic effect that the city can receive for its needs from the vacated territories, as well as the quick payback due to high freight turnover, demonstrate the viability and high prospects of the developed methods for the development of freight traffic, as well as the city and increasing its investment attractiveness.

* 20 TEU is a symbol for a 20-foot cargo container (dimensions 20x8x8.5 feet or 6.1x2.44.2.59 m, volume 39 cubic meters).

SORTING HUMPS ON RAILROADS OF THE WORLD

IN transport nodes, close large industrial centers, at megacities, near ports, large enterprises heavy industry And mining industry - there, Where trains are being formed, V most countries peace sorting rooms are located slides. We offer analysis for readers systems, which are equipped these slides, and trends development foreign devices formation compositions.

Central Europe and primarily France and the Benelux countries have a high density of hump humps. There are also a significant number of them in the countries of the former USSR and on the east coast of the United States. A large number of hump humps have been built in recent years in China. There are much fewer of them on the railways of countries such as Canada, India and South Africa. In developing countries in Africa, as well as South and Latin America, humps, like other automation equipment in railway transport, are still rare. On the contrary, in many industrialized countries (Japan, England, Denmark and Norway) not a single hump has survived due to the use of new methods of forming trains. In other European countries, sorting work is concentrated only on the largest units, and small and medium capacity humps are gradually closed. Today, the world's largest hump, Bailey Yard, is located in the USA (Nebraska) and has 50 tracks in one direction and 64 tracks in the opposite direction. Only slightly behind it is the double-sided classification hump Maschen (Fig. 1), located near the port of Hamburg - 48 tracks in one direction and 64 in the other. In China, the largest hump in Asia was recently built at Zhengzhou station - 34 and 36 tracks; another large hump is located in South Africa at the Centrarad station northeast of Johannesburg - 64 tracks in the sorting park and 8 tracks in the subsorting parks. Differences in the technical equipment and technology of hump humps are due to the historical development of mechanization and automation in different countries of the world, which began in Europe in the middle of the last century.

THE EMERGENCE OF HUMPER SYSTEMS

Back in 1846, an inclined track was built at the Dresden freight station, onto which wagons uncoupled from the train were fed. At this time, other methods of breaking up trains were known in Europe, for example, using turntables, which have been preserved near many depots to this day (Fig. 2). The first simplified hump was built in 1858 at the Leipzig intermediate freight station. Fully consistent with today's structure of most sorting centers with a receiving park, sorting park and departure park (Fig. 3), the hump was built at the Ter Nord freight station near Saint-Etienne in France in 1863. Shildon station was built on the same principle in 1869 in the northeast of England.

The first marshalling yards used the natural slope of the terrain and did not have a counter-slope on the moving part. It was not until 1876 that a hump with a platform at the top and a counter-slope was built at the Speldorf marshalling yard in Germany. The mechanical centralizations used at that time had limited control range, and therefore several posts independent of each other were built in the dissolution zone.

The division of the marshalling yard into groups of tracks (bundles) began to be used in 1891 at the large marshalling station with double-sided operation Osterfeld-Süd in Germany. At that time, mechanized braking devices were not yet used on the hump humps, but precise, targeted braking was necessary, and therefore workers installed brake shoes on the tracks at the bottom of the hump. These simple devices are still used today as anti-theft devices at freight stations with naturally sloping tracks.

In the twenties of the last century, the economies of Europe and the United States, and with it freight transportation, were booming, and the first beam-type car retarders were developed to speed up and safely disband trains. In 1923, in the USA, the first moderator with a large number of units was installed at the Gibson hump near Chicago, and in 1925, at the largest marshalling station in Europe at that time, Hamm (Westphalia), a mechanized complex consisting of four hydraulic carriage retarders. Electromechanical centralizations that appeared around the same time made it possible to remotely control all objects from one post of the hump complex. Thanks to this, the process of disbanding trains has accelerated, and its automation has also become possible. A little later, the first electrical devices for storing the sequence of passage of cars were created. In accordance with the assignment received, they controlled the switch drives of the beams.

The first electronically controlled slide complex was created in 1955. at Kirk Station near Chicago, and already in the 1960s, most large sorting centers were fully automated. During these same years, many hump yards began to use a radio channel to control the locomotive for moving the train, which improved quality and productivity, and also eliminated drivers and floor hump signals.

TYPES OF SORTING HUMPS

Hump ​​complexes can have either a unidirectional (one-sided) construction structure or a double-sided one, used at large units with a lot of sorting work in both directions. Previously, slides were built on areas with a natural slope of the tracks, independent of the dissolution zone, as is customary in modern complexes. Many of these slides are still in use today. Abroad, slides are used with both natural and artificial slopes (Fig. 4). The principles of car braking used on them also differ. The choice of braking means is also influenced by the location of the hump. The humps built near transport hubs eventually ended up within the city limits, and special requirements are currently imposed on such sorting complexes. These include silent operation of retarders and switch drives, special rules for dissolution, and limited access to the territory.

Sorting parks can have either the same length as other station parks or a reduced length. Shorter marshalling yards are used, in particular, in the USA, where long trains are formed in conditions of favorable terrain and large distances between stations. The shortened trains assembled in the sorting yard are transported to the departure route, where they are coupled with other semi-trains. In some cases, it may be more profitable, on the contrary, to design sorting tracks of increased length.

The latest generation of hump humps provide the ability to locally control the switches and signals of the reception and departure parks with checking the necessary dependencies and closures. Only centralized control is less common, and sometimes these parks may not have the signaling devices used at the stations.

Let's look at the devices and principles of braking on hump humps.

BRAKING COLLECTIONS IN HUMP COMPLEXES

The first braking of the releases is intended mainly to form the necessary following intervals and is carried out by one or two braking positions (TP) in the hill zone, and targeted braking occurs in the park zone. In addition to the pincer-type retarders known on Russian railways, retarders with other braking principles are used in the hump zone. Thus, on hump humps located near residential areas, rubber-coated rails are used to reduce speed. The friction force when a metal wheel moves over rubber is regulated by the position of the retarder, thus taking away a significant part of the kinetic energy of the release. Permanent magnet braking devices, which are most effective at high (above 20 km/h) cut speeds, are considered promising.

For braking in the park area, many hump humps are equipped with a large number of point retarders, providing quasi-continuous speed control. Point hydraulic piston retarders have received the greatest recognition. Their braking effect occurs when the wheel flange of the car collides with the retarder piston mounted on the rail neck (Fig. 5). Excess kinetic energy is extinguished by moving the piston downward if the speed of the release is exceeded. The piston retarders contain speed sensors.

Hydraulic spiral retarders are also common in Europe. As the car passes along it, the wheel flange interacts with the spiral protrusion of the cylinder (Fig. 6), and it makes one revolution. If the speed of the car is less than that to which the retarder is adjusted, then its valve does not prevent the flow of liquid from one cavity to another, and braking does not occur. If the specified speed is exceeded, the retarder creates maximum braking force. If it is necessary to allow a shunting locomotive to pass, a special pneumatic device moves the spiral retarder away from the rail.

In addition, a number of classification humps in the park area are equipped with hydraulic accelerators that operate at uncoupling speeds below the established limit.

On slides with natural slopes, quasi-continuous speed control is usually used throughout the entire slope, including the pre-park (slide) area.

On the latest generation of humps with intensive sorting work for the park area, car loaders are provided. They are located inside the rail track and are moved by automatically controlled cables. If necessary, car unloaders bring the uncouplings to the cars standing on the track (Fig. 7). Such devices are used, for example, at hump yards in Munich (Germany), Zurich (Switzerland) and Rotterdam (Netherlands).

MODERNIZATION OF HUMP COMPLEXES ABROAD

For the construction and modernization of marshalling yards, Siemens has developed a universal complex MSR 32 (Fig. 8) for humps of medium, large and high power. Depending on the type and required power of the slide, its profile, local conditions and the customer’s preferred switch drives and braking means, a model of the slide is created and tested on a computer. Based on the results of the simulation, the types and locations of car speed sensors, wind speed meters in different zones of the hump, weight meters, meters of the length and height of the cut (to calculate the trajectory of its acceleration), the number and optimal zones for placing brake positions, as well as track clearness sensors are selected.

The operating principle of such slides is as follows. Information from all measuring instruments and sensors of the hump, as well as reception and departure parks, is sent to the central processor. From there, after processing all the data, the locomotive is controlled by the existing brake positions, as well as the car seaters (Fig. 9). The most important information about the operation of the hump, as well as the results of train formation, is transmitted in real time to the control center. The MSR 32 system is designed on a modular basis, which makes it easy to adapt to any customer requirements.

This system has been implemented on slides with different profiles, braking concepts and processing capabilities. Thus, in Zurich (Switzerland) the hump has a capacity of 330 cars per hour. The locomotive is controlled via a radio channel. At the 1st braking position there are two retarders, at the 2nd - eight, in the park area - 64 (one per track), at the lower braking position - two. On the main hump, car unloaders are used, on the auxiliary hump (put into operation in 1999) - 13 park retarders.

In Vienna (Austria), a marshalling yard with a capacity of 320 wagons per hour has a radio-controlled locomotive. Of the 48 tracks in the parkland, two are used for thrusting. The hill has piston retarders with automatic speed control along the entire path of rolling the cuts. The sorting station was put into operation in 2004.

The "South Elbe" slide near the port of Hamburg (Germany) is of lower power and has three retarders in the 2nd braking position and 24 in the park area. It was put into operation in 2006.

At all hump humps, continuous exchange of information with control centers is ensured.

In the near future, Siemens plans to put into operation the first hump MSR 32, adapted to the requirements of the railways of the countries of the former USSR (Vaidotai station in Lithuania).

ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS FOR TRAIN FORMATION

In the second half of the last century, there was a tendency towards the predominance of small shipments in cargo turnover. Due to the increasing competition in the field of cargo transportation between rail and other modes of transport, container transportation has become relevant, allowing to minimize the costs of transshipment and take advantage of the advantages of each type of transport, delivering small shipments on a door-to-door basis. To reload containers from wagons to sea and road transport, special parks with crane mechanisms were created. With the growth of container shipments over time, many marshalling stations will transfer their functions to parks designed to reload containers from wagons not only to sea vessels and cars, but also to trains in other directions. In many European countries, such parks are already in use (Fig. 9), displacing hump humps of low and medium capacity.

30-12-2013, 16:39
Here is a short overview of the largest railway stations in the world in terms of the number of passenger platforms.

Jakarta Kota (Indonesia)

The capital of Indonesia has the largest train station in Southeast Asia. The station was built in 1870. In 1926, the building and access roads of the station underwent reconstruction. In particular, the number of landing platforms here was increased to 12.

Jakarta Kota was officially designated as a national cultural heritage site in 1993 and has become an important historical landmark.

Jakarta Kota serves passenger routes on the island of Java.

Berlin Central Station (Germany)

The current building of Berlin Central Station appeared on the site of one destroyed during the Second World War. In 2006, the station became the largest transport hub in Europe. It is noteworthy that a multi-level arrangement of platforms is provided here. Six platforms are located on top, and eight are on the lower tier. The paths intersect with each other like a web due to the constructed tunnels and bridges.

The main station building is made of glass and steel. More than forty thousand square meters of the station area are allocated here for a commercial zone. Basically, this huge territory contains shops, restaurants, and small retail shops. Every day the station serves up to 300 thousand passengers.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Railway Station (India)

This train station located in Mumbai is said to be one of the most beautiful in the world. The station was built during the era of British colonialism in 1888. At first it bore the name of Queen Victoria. In 1996, the station was renamed and began to bear the name of the national hero of India Chhatrapati Shivaji.

In terms of architectural style, the station's structure resembles a kind of mosaic, which contains Victorian neo-Gothic and Indo-Saracenic motifs. There are a lot of arches, turrets, and domes decorated in an original way. The interior halls of the station are skillfully decorated with wood carvings. There is iron present here, mainly copper.

In 2004, this historic building was rightfully included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Station today has 18 boarding platforms, which gives it eighth place in the overall ranking of the largest stations in the world.

Leipzig Central Station (Germany)

Leipzig railway station is considered the largest in Europe in terms of area occupied. By the way, it is 83,460 square meters. The length of the station facade is 300 meters.

The first stone for the construction of the station was laid back in 1915. During World War II, the station building was heavily damaged by bombing and was completely rebuilt in 1950. After forty years of operation, a new reconstruction of the station followed. After it, the number of landing platforms at the facility reached 24.

Leipzig railway station is considered to be multi-level. Every day it serves up to 120 thousand passengers.

Zurich Central Station (Switzerland)

Zurich Central Station was opened in 1847. During its existence, it was rebuilt and reconstructed several times. Now this railway point of the country serves up to half a million passengers daily!

The station has 16 platforms for long-distance trains. There are also 10 platforms for high-speed electric trains EuroCity, Cisalpino, TGV, Intercity-Express and CityNightLine.

In addition, it is noted that Zurich station has the largest indoor shopping area, the total area of ​​which is 55 thousand square meters.

Termini (Italy)

The Termini railway transport hub was opened in 1862. The station ranks second in area, second only to the railway station in Leipzig.

Termini Station has 29 boarding platforms from which trains depart to Paris, Vienna, Munich, Geneva, Basel, as well as on suburban routes.

The passenger flow of the Italian station exceeds 400 thousand passengers per day.

Munich Main Station (Germany)

Munich railway station is the fourth in the world and the second in Europe in terms of the number of platforms - here there are 32!

The station building was originally built in 1839. However, war broke out and the transport hub was destroyed. The station was practically rebuilt from scratch in 1960. Then this transport point in Germany was able to receive several hundred thousand passengers daily. By the way, today the daily capacity of the station has been increased to 450 thousand passengers.

Shinjuku (Japan)

One of the oldest train stations in Japan. Shinjuku was built in 1885. Today it is a real record holder in terms of passenger traffic.

The transport hub passes through over three and a half million people every day. Thanks to this indicator, the station was included in the Guinness Book of Records. This was in 2007 and today, most likely, the number of passengers has increased.

The station is provided with more than 200 entrances and exits in order to serve such a huge number of people. It should be noted that most of the 36 passenger platforms are occupied by domestic trains, acting as public transport.

Gare du Nord (France)

There are 44 platforms at Paris Gare du Nord! This is an absolute European record holder!

The station was built in 1846. Despite its age, the station remains one of the most beautiful buildings in the French capital.

Inside the North Station, the catering and trade infrastructure is quite well developed. There are dozens of small cafes and restaurants, a lot of boutiques and just small retail shops.

They say that today there are projects to expand this railway station to increase the number of passenger platforms to 77.

Grand Central Station New York (USA)

The world leader in the number of passenger platforms is occupied by New York's Grand Central Terminal.

The station was built in 1871. Here, 44 landing platforms occupying an area of ​​200 thousand square meters are located underground. There, in these underground tunnels there are shops, restaurants, and even a museum!

There is also a government secret railway line here. It is located on the underground level of M42. However, no one knows its exact location. This is understandable! This state secret has been reliably guarded since the Second World War.

It should be noted that the station is a favorite place for many tourists. Every year this site attracts more than 21 million tourists from all over the world!