Page 13 - Port of Hamburg Magazine 1.2020
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               dling of shipments by inland waterway craft should not obscure the fact that the basic infrastructural re- quirements will initially be met by rapid and system- atic implementation of the waterway projects in the Federal Transport Infrastructure Plan – BVWP 2030. After all, an increased number of control centres will not solve the acute problem of obsolete, inci- dent-prone locks, nor will improved data accessibili- ty and transmission within the logistics chain do so.
It is therefore essential to start by repairing the ‘hardware’, e.g., locks and weirs, optimizing fair- ways, and providing countrywide access to an effec- tive 5G network along federal waterways. That would lay the foundation enabling digitalization to enhance the attractiveness and efficiency of this mode of transport. ■
Fabian Spieß, Federal Association of the German Inland Navigation e.V.
DIGITAL DECADE ■
           Click&Ride: Hinterland freight transport path in maximum of three minutes
        The ‘Click&Ride’ web-app now enables rail freight operators to book paths for unscheduled trains with DB Netz in a trice. Within a maximum of three minutes, the app offers capacities available in flexible freight transport – standard segment – at short notice. Among those to profit in future will be customers wishing to book train paths into ports.
Rail takes first place, ahead of trucking and inland shipping, in the Port of Hamburg’s hinterland trans- port. In 2019 alone, container shipments by rail be- tween terminals in the Port of Hamburg and points inland increased by 10.4 percent to 2.7 million TEU. Since December, Click&Ride has made rail even more attractive. Within a maximum of three min- utes, this fully digitalized schedule and booking sys- tem offers a path for a train inserted at short notice. For comparison, the manual train path design previ- ously necessary took up to 48 hours. For the mo- ment, Click&Ride still plans exclusively through the DB Netz infrastructure, yet intensive preparations are under way to facilitate paths directly into the Port of Hamburg by year-end.
WHAT RAIL CAN DO
At least 45 minutes, and at most 48 hours before de- parture, rail operators can resort to the tool, feeding in ETD, route desired for national freight transport, and the train parameters. Of all the conceivable paths, Click&Ride compiles those that best match the requirements. After booking the path, the cus- tomer can depart on time as planned. Schedule data is displayed on the appliance at the driver’s console, or despatched by e-mail. “Click&Ride shows what rail can do,” says Dr Michael Beck, DB Netz’s Head of Scheduling and Capacity Management. “Never has it been so simple to despatch a freight train.”
UNIQUE PATH BOOKING VIA WEB-APP
To calculate the range of a train path, a Cloud-based IT system utilizes and connects vast quantities of da- ta, checks train and route attributes, using this data to select a train path. The basis here is formed by
several hundred thousand sequences containing the network’s infrastructure and schedule parameters. An algorithm selects the matching sequences and assembles these. The system simultaneously man- ages to incorporate the train path into the existing schedule structure. Infrastructure is therefore uti- lized as efficiently as possible.
On an international comparison too, this project pro- moted by the German Ministry of Transport and Digi- tal Infrastructure (BMVI) – represents a quantum leap. “Click&Ride is unique worldwide and has aroused tre- mendous interest among innumerable neighbouring rail operators,” says Dr Daniel Pöhle, Head of DB Netz’s ‘neXt Lab’ IT innovation laboratory, which de- veloped Click&Ride. Up to 250 IT and rail experts were cooperating on it at one time. Its mathematical optimization will in future be used in other areas such as the network and construction schedules.
All DB Netz’s freight transport customers may use Click&Ride. The app is available online and mobile for laptops and smartphones. ■
For further details about the web-app: www.dbnetze.com/clickundride
DR DANIEL PÖHLE (IN WHITE SHIRT) HEADS DB NETZ’S ‘NEXT-LAB’ IT IN- NOVATION LABORATORY
                 Port of Hamburg Magazine | March 2020 | 13
© DB Netz AG / Sebastian Vandervelt

















































































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