EUKN - European Urban Knowledge Network - Clean and efficient freight tram delivers goods

Clean and efficient freight tram delivers goods – Amsterdam, NL

Introduction

Amsterdam has launched a trial for distributing goods by tram to reduce traffic congestion and air pollution in the inner city. The initiative for the pilot project came from a private company called CityCargo Amsterdam BV. A freight tram will run through the city centre during a four week pilot phase. Aim is to improve the distribution of goods in the city centre. CityCargo Amsterdam BV may apply the concept in other cities in due course if the Amsterdam pilot project is successful.

Description

Traffic problems dog Amsterdam's inner city. Lorries may load and unload goods only between 7:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m (time window). The narrow canals and streets pose another problem for the delivery of goods by lorries that additionally degrade air quality. To tackle these problems Amsterdam decided to set up the CargoTram pilot. Two trams will run through the centre of Amsterdam during the pilot project. To test the system, the trams will not carry any goods in the first two weeks. They will do so in the final two weeks of the trial.

Approach

Amsterdam is not the only city that is exploring the distribution potential of trams. Dresden (Germany) has a regular CarGoTram service, run by the world's longest tram trainsets (59.4 m), carrying car parts across the city centre to its Volkswagen factory. Vienna (Austria) and Zürich (Switzerland) use trams as mobile recycling depots. Kislovodsk (Russia)had a freight-only tram system that was used exclusively to deliver bottled mineral water to the railway station.

The Amsterdam CityCargo's approach is:

CityCargo will use Amsterdam’s tram infrastructure to distribute goods in the city. There is considerable flexibility in routes thanks to the dense tram network.
Distribution centres called Cross Docks will be created in the Osdorp suburb that is connected to the tram network. They will be established as close as possible to the A1, A2, A4, A5 and A9 motorways to prevent haulage overburdening the already congested A10 ring road. Amsterdam Schiphol Airport is also nearby. Inbound goods arriving at the airport can be taken into the inner city aboard the freight trams.
Goods will be transferred to the trams in the Cross Docks. They will be sorted by delivery area before being loaded aboard the trams for the journey to inner-city transhipment hubs.
From the hubs the goods will be delivered in a finely-meshed network by electrically powered "e-cars". These vehicles will be used for “the last mile” to the delivery address.
The freight trams will be allowed to load and unload outside the goods delivery window.

Results

The Amsterdam Municipal Executive accepted a positive evaluation of the pilot project mid-April. Negotiations have started on awarding CityCargo a concession. The talks focus mainly on the intensity of use of the tram rails. A CityCargo spokesperson expressed confidence in establishment of the concession, although the exact contents of the agreement are not yet known. However, the pilot looks set to be turned into a regular service.

Full introduction of the CityCargo concept in Amsterdam's inner city is expected to:

reduce air pollution in the in the city centre. Each day 5,000 lorries drive around the inner city streets. CityCargo can halve the total number of commercial vehicles within four years, reducing emissions of particulate matter and nitrogen oxides (NOx) by up to sixteen percent.
reduce the noise burden in the city
produce significant benefits in the distribution chain. Loading and unloading large commercial vehicles in the Cross Docks in the periphery will keep these vehicles out of the city centre. Consequently, there will be less traffic in Amsterdam's narrow streets and canals. In addition, the trams and e-cars will be allowed to deliver goods outside the delivery window, thus eliminating waiting times for distributors. Transport firms will incur less scheduling costs because they will not need to stick to the delivery window if they connect with the freight trams.
save the city’s economy 125 million euros per year through enhanced deployment of workers and more efficient planning, thus reducing costs for businesses. There will also be less likelihood of theft because of the traceability of the containers on the trams and the e-cars.
create more than 1,200 new jobs

Contact info

CityCargo Amsterdam B.V.
Ms Mariëtte van der Heide, tel. +31 20 572 71 11

Project start date

07/03/2007

Links

For more information, please visit the CityCargo Amsterdam website

Document type

case

Themes

Urban Policy > Economy knowledge & employment > Urban economy

Keywords

Specific sectors