Modern approach in railcar fleet management

Abstract

The operation of railway transportation has a number of peculiarities. The transfer of the railcar fleet to the ownership of operating companies has obviously led to changes in the management of railway transportation. The analysis of the total freight turnover and the number of managed railcars shows that 20 largest railcar fleet operators are market leaders. Despite a number of advantages, the ownership of rolling stock by private companies causes a number of problems, the most acute of which are surplus and deficit of the railcar fleet, accumulation of “abandoned” trains. Such problems are especially evident in the logistics chains of international transportation corridors. In this regard, it is advisable to analyze the controlling actions of all participants of the transportation process, to assess the degree of participation of each operator. Solving the problems of railcar fleet management using the restrictions of pulling cars on the main infrastructure tracks with seeming advantages leads to the increasing railcar turnover and, as a consequence, the growth of the operating railcar fleet, i. e. potential surplus. Regulation of the railcar fleet should be carried out using the system of technical standardization. However, the system itself is subject to revision, especially with regard to the planning period by reducing the latter. Increasing the dynamics of regulation will make it possible to meet the transportation needs in time, avoid accumulation of “abandoned” trains, specify the operating car fleet managed by companies - operators and bring railway transportation closer to the logistic principles of freight delivery. For this purpose, it is expedient to study in detail the technology of interaction of all railway transportation participants, especially including them in multimodal transport corridors.