Freight Lunch and Learn: Smart Cities and Rail Technology

Welcome

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Smart Cities & Rail Technology Palmetto Freight Series: Lunch & Learn July 16, 2020

Introduction to Speakers

Ben Ritchey Columbus, OH

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Matthew Gehman Charleston, SC

What are Smart Cities?

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• Cities that use information technologies to: • Make efficient use of existing infrastructure • Engage with citizens • Allocate and prioritize resources

• Freight-focused applications are one subgroup of smart cities technologies 4

Smart Columbus

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Smart Columbus Summary

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• $40m USDOT grant • Deploy innovative, sustainable, and equitable mobility solutions

• Key Projects • Truck platooning and freight signal priority • Electric and automated vehicles • Shared mobility models • Connected vehicles • Smart Columbus Operating System

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Smart Columbus

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Truck Platooning and Freight Signal Priority

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Smart Columbus

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Smart Columbus Operating System

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Smart Columbus

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Partnerships

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Key Takeaways

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• Agency coordination to define and deploy technology • Regionally, statewide, or between states • Cooperation between DOTs, MPOs, and local communities

• Establishing an industry cluster for new technologies • CU-iCAR, BMW, SC Technology and Aviation Center Test Track

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Drayage Freight and Logistics Exchange (DrayFLEX) Southern California

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What is the DrayFLEX Program?

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• Overall program goals: • Improve freight movement coordination • Improve terminal efficiency • Reduce delays and truck queueing • Reduce fuel consumption and emissions

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Deployment Groups • DrayFLEX Core

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• DrayFLEX Trip

• Fleet and dispatch optimization • Port and terminal operations optimization

• Truck traveler information • Route optimization

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Truck Routing Example

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• Events and notifications • Slow-down ahead • Fuel-efficient routes • Incidents

• Can be integrated with regional ITS

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Performance Measures

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Key Takeaways

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• Improving freight mobility without large-scale infrastructure investments • Working with private terminals and carriers to conduct a test • Trucking companies, marine terminal operators • Potential integration with private systems

• Integrating regional ITS data to provide useful information to truckers • Capitalize on freight moving between Charleston and the Upstate • I-26 corridor • Involve industry to understand needs

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Questions and Answers

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Please type your questions in the questions box and our project team will answer them If we do not get to all the questions, we’ll prepare written responses and post them to the website with the meeting recording

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Rail Technology Lunch & Learn

Future Technological Trends & Applications Understanding How to Improve Freight Safety & Mobility

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Positive Train Control As of January 2020 • What: Technology automatically stops a train before certain accidents related to human error occur • Who: Mandated by Congress for railroads in the US • Why: To reach a goal of zero accidents • When: Implementation by Dec. 31, 2020 for freight railroads

Employees trained

100%

Radio towers installed

100%

Wayside units installed

100%

Locomotives Equipped

100%

required route miles operational

98.5%

By the end of 2020 Fully implemented

100% Source: AAR

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Positive Train Control

Image: Union Pacific

Strategically addressing the root causes of accidents: •

Track: Accounted for 27% of total train accidents in 2017 Track-caused accidents are  26% between 2009 and 2018

•

Equipment: Accounted for 14% of total train accidents in 2017 Equipment-caused accidents are  11% between 2009 and 2018

•

Human Error: Accounted for 38% of total train accidents in 2017 Human factor-caused accidents are  3% between 2009 and 2018 21

Quiet Zones • What: A segment of rail where the

locomotive horn is not routinely sounded at public highway-rail grade crossings

• Who: FRA Locomotive Horn Rule • Benefits: promotes quality of life without compromising safety

• When:

 Show the lack of horn does not pose a significant safety risk  Implement safety measures to reduce excess risk associated with no horn 22

Quiet Zones One of the following must be met: • One or more SSMs installed at each public crossing in the Quiet Zone • Additional safety measures at selected crossings to reduce the Quiet Zone Risk Index to a level equal to or less than the Nationwide Significant Risk Threshold • Quiet Zone Risk Index is equal to or less than the Nationwide Significant Risk Threshold without additional safety measures at any crossing in the Quiet Zone • Additional safety measures are taken at selected crossings resulting in the Quiet Zone Risk Index being reduced to at least the level of the Risk Index with Horns Supplemental Safety Measures (SSM) Temporary Closure

Four-Quadrant Gate System

Permanent Closure

One-Way Streets with Gates

Gates with Medians or Channelization

Wayside Horns 23

Automated Lift Equipment Intelligent operating equipment which pairs with a facility’s existing terminal operating system and a remote operating station

Benefits: • Increased safety • Efficient and reliable operations • Increased productivity • Reduced operational costs • Reduced congestion and idling time of terminal equipment • Ability to phase for new or existing facilities • Better container tracking

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Truck Gate Appointment Systems Technology for truck drivers to request specific pick-up/delivery window from a facility to reduce terminal congestion, through a web-based phone application

Image: APM Terminals

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Key Takeaways • PTC is led by railroads, but will improve overall safety • Quiet zones can improve quality of life as long as safety requirements are met • Automated lift equipment can increase terminal throughput

• Impacts on traffic and infrastructure outside the gates

• Appointment systems are also private sectordriven

• But can be integrated with public Intelligent Transportation Systems, e.g. DrayFLEX in Los Angeles 26

Questions and Answers Please type your questions in the questions box and our project team will answer them

If we do not get to all the questions, we’ll prepare written responses and post them to the website with the meeting recording

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Thank You For Joining Today! • What is coming up next in the Palmetto Freight Series?

MEETING

TENTATIVE DATE

TOPIC

TENTATIVE LUNCH & LEARN TOPICS

1

June 4

Introduction to Freight Planning

N/A

2

July 16

Best Practices & Network Assessment

Smart Cities and Rail Technologies

3

August 13

Land Use Analysis

Truck Parking Automation

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Stay Connected!

ACOG

BCDCOG

scacog.org/acog-freight-plan

bcdcog.com/freight

@AppalachianCouncilofGovernments

@BCDCoG

@SCACOG

@BCDCog 29