Optimization of cargo container loading on

railway wagons

S. Aksentijević*, E. Tijan**, M. Jović*** and N. Munitić****

*Aksentijević Forensics and Consulting, Ltd., Viškovo, Croatia
sasa.aksentijevic@gmail.com
** University of Rijeka, Faculty of Maritime Studies/Department of maritime logistics and management, Rijeka, Croatia

etijan@pfri.hr
*** University of Rijeka, Faculty of Maritime Studies/Department of maritime logistics and management, Rijeka,

Croatia
jovic@pfri.hr
**** Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure, Zagreb, Croatia

natasa.munitic@mmpi.hr

Abstract - The aim of this paper is to research the
optimization of loading cargo containers on railway wagons
during the formation of railway compositions, by matching
technical limitations of the wagons, as required by the
wagon engineering discipline (“wagon loading schema” –
includes cargo position, weight, and axle load, among other
parameters), limitations of the railway (maximum speed,
railway class, axle load, cargo height etc.), as identified by
the “State of the railway network” document issued by the
Railway Infrastructure Manager HŽ Infrastruktura Ltd.,
and the commercial bill of lading. As a part of the research,
a mobile Web application has been created and tested with
the key pilot stakeholder, confirming the initial hypothesis
that the optimization methodology can successfully be used
in optimization of cargo container loading and placement on
railway wagons, increasing efficiency and decreasing cost
and harmful emissions.
Keywords - railway, wagons, intermodal transport,
liberalization, ICT
I. INTRODUCTION
In EU, the attention to efficiency and safety of
international railway freight transport has grown in recent
years [1]. With Croatian accession to the EU on the 1st of
July 2013, a new Railway Act came into force [2], which
consistently and integrally regulates the utilization of the
railway system in the Republic of Croatia. With the new
Railway Act the cargo transport market in Croatia has
been liberalized. Croatian accession to the EU has enabled
free access of foreign railway cargo operators to national
railway infrastructure under the same conditions that
apply to national cargo operators. At the moment, there
are ten railway cargo transporters registered in Croatia,
including HŽ Cargo, previously the only one, and also a
state-owned railway cargo operator. Currently, alternative
operators have a market share of more than 50 % [3].
A final goal of the act is to achieve harmonization with
the European legislation and conditions on the competitive
railway services market. The railway operators and
infrastructure maintenance and oversight are separated
and functioning according to the free market principles,
the main prerequisite for the integration of this market
segment into the EU market.
II. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
According to the Railway Act (OJ No 94/13, 148/13)
[2] whose coming into effect has determined a beginning
of the railway transport market liberalization in Croatia,
the market consists of services and entities. Thus, defined
market is operated by the infrastructure manager and
operators of service facilities providing the railway
services selected as needed in different groups: minimum
access package, access to service facilities and to the
services provided in these facilities, including track access
to service facilities, additional and ancillary services.
Railway infrastructure is defined by the Railway Act
as a “public good in general use, which under equal and
transparent conditions should be available to all railway
undertakings” [4]. The liberalization of the railway market
tends to improve the quality of rail services for the railway
transport users, at the same time reducing the maintenance
costs of railway infrastructure and traffic management for
the amount of compensation which is collected from the
railway.
Railway Act imposes a non-discriminatory approach
to railway infrastructure, and a possibility for legal
persons that are not railway transporters to lease sections
of infrastructure. The access of railway transporters to
terminals and sea and river ports has also been regulated.
The transporters have the obligation to conduct business
in accordance with market principles and apply the
principle of the freedom of service provision. Marked
increase of the cargo transport on the terminal and port
facilities in the Port of Rijeka has an important role in
organization of business processes of cargo operators.
Railway Safety Agency [4] serves as an independent
regulatory body ensuring equal market conditions for all
the operators. It also establishes the conditions for railway
transport operation, monitors railway infrastructure status,
railway services market, provides services of the railway
infrastructure management and the conditions for usage of

MIPRO 2020/DE-DS 1647

 the infrastructure, the principles and procedures that apply
to introducing and defining fees for railway services and
assigns railway infrastructure capacities, the criteria for
issuing and cancelling permits to railway operators, and
the services of railway transport of special interest for the
Republic of Croatia which a partly state-funded. It also
creates a set of criteria according to which operators need
to comply with the conditions monitored by the Agency
for Railway Safety, that also issues certificates of safety
and other related certificates.
Sea (and river) ports may have a critical role in the
increase of rail transport due to the fact that a large part of
freight is carried by sea [5], [6]. This is the case in the port
of Rijeka, located in an important geographic position [7]
whereby its capacities must be well positioned and
recognized on the traffic map of Europe in order to
channel large volumes of cargo to its terminals.
Considering the volumes of cargo that are unloaded from
ships, the rail has an advantage over trucking because one
train can transport a larger quantity of goods [8], it is more
environmentally friendly [9], [10], [11], [12] and cheaper
[13], [12]. Consequently, ship traffic increase in seaports
is directly and positively correlated with the increase of
the transport of goods by rail.
With the ongoing and well recognized trend of
containerization, even the cargo that was previously
typically break-bulk cargo is nowadays placed in
containers and transported as such. Therefore, it is of great
interest for all cargo operators to optimize the process of
container loading and wagon utilization, respecting the
state of the railway rules.
III. BUSINESS LOGIC OF CONTAINER LOADING ON
WAGONS
When loading cargo on wagons, it is extremely
important to optimize loading in relation to the wagon
capacity. The current mode is that operators, according to
experience and by using simple Excel spreadsheets, create
wagon utilization calculations and loading plans. Such
primitive work cannot ensure the ideal utilization of
wagon capacity. The result is a loss of space and capacity
on the wagon, inefficient work and inefficient rail
transport. The solution is to create tailor-made software
that will independently calculate the loading plan based on
cargo and wagon data. This will speed up the loading
process and increase the productivity of rail transport.
Ultimately it will also contribute to increased
competitiveness of the transport route.
The participating partner of TalkNet project [14], Port
of Rijeka Authority, has contracted Aksentijevic Forensics
and Consulting, Ltd., to provide the business process logic
and application development for the optimization of
loading containers on wagons. The Talknet project aims to
encourage and improve coordination among key
stakeholders to strengthen the integration between ports,
inland terminals, transport operators and policy makers.
Multimodality optimization and eco-innovation solutions
are the two main fields of cooperation to establish
transnational stakeholders' networks for freight transport
A comprehensive analysis was undertaken in August
2019., that involved the following:
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• Identification of stakeholders and railway
operators,
• Identification of technical data on utilized
wagons,
• Identification of technical data on containers used,
• Business process analysis of wagon cargo loading,
• Translation of business case to application
requirements,
• Identification of application configuration and
use-cases.
After thorough analysis, a leading cargo rail service
provider in the region was chosen for the key pilot action.
A management buy-in was obtained (the management was
committed to allocating time resources in order to fully
map the processes and provide insight into applicable
business needs and timely delivery of data, documents and
information required to build the application).
The application should present high usability and
portability, because the employees working with the cargo
wagon composing applications are remote workers and
need accessibility outside of the office. As a suitable
delivery method, Android application was selected, with
the alternative being a Web-accessible application
compliant with mobile phone and tablet browsers.
Container train is composed of a number of wagon
cars that can be owned by the cargo operator, or can be
leased. Each wagon type is characterized by specific
technical data, among which most important are:
• Number of axles
• Weight
• Maximum total weight
• Length
• Container loading schema.
Wagons are loaded with containers, and each wagon
depending on the type, can carry one or more containers.
Containers are standardized and they can be divided
by their length and other characteristics [15]. Most
commonly used are 10 ft, 20 ft, 30 ft, 35 ft, 40 ft and 45 ft.
intermodal containers. Furthermore, containers can have
additional technical capabilities, for example, they can be
high format containers (called high cube containers), open
top containers, collapsible (foldable) containers, or reefer
– refrigerated containers.
A task that railway cargo operators are facing is to
form a train using the least number of wagons (effectively,
loading each utilized wagon to the maximum of its
capacity). During the pilot action, executed as a part of
Interreg TalkNet project, it has come to the researchers'
attention that cargo operators require an application that
would be equally operable using workstations and mobile
devices like smartphones and tablets. The envisaged
application needs to achieve loading and distribution of
the containers that need to constitute one shipment to
available train wagon composition to be transported from
MIPRO 2020/DE-DS
 point A to B and show them visually/graphically.
Requirements for the application configuration that were
identified during the process modelling were:
• Ability to enter wagon types and data
• Ability to enter container models and data
• Ability to enter and save train composition (up to
30 wagons each)
• Ability to exchange saved train composition data
(e.g. by email, using Google Drive, or other
dedicated server storage) with other app users
Furthermore, certain application functionalities were
identified that constitute a minimum viable product
(MVP) for this purpose. They are as follows:
• Input of the number and type of containers to be
transported using bill of lading document
• Load saved train composition to be used
• Automatically distribute containers to wagons
according to business rules
• Possibility of a “manual” mode: drag and drop of
containers to wagons after the composition has
been formed
• Save loaded cargo train composition
The application also needs to follow the basic rules of
information security, meaning that different users should
have separate usernames and logins, so every user can
access only their own data related to train composition and
end result, but can use predefined container types common
for all users. Configuration data has to envisage wagon
types (models), wagon-related data and loading schemas
for predefined types of wagons. Output results need to be
entered to final Excel loading lists that can be used by the
field personnel to facilitate wagon loading, but also for
data exchange with ERP and other systems.
During the business modelling, certain characteristics
of the wagons needed to be considered by the analysts as
inputs for the optimization process. The key pilot partner
uses six different types of wagons, and data that has to be
entered into the model includes:
• Wagon type name (e.g.: Sggrs(s) 80’, Laags...)
• Wagon tare weight (own weight)
• Wagon load weight (in this case, cargo
container(s) total gross weight)
• Wagon gross weight (tare weight + container
weight with loaded cargo)
• Loading schema (how containers can be
distributed on the wagon depending on container
type – predefined by the engineers)
• Number of axles
• Max load per axle (should be generally 20 t, but
depends on the railway section)
MIPRO 2020/DE-DS
• Wagon “registration number” (“license plate”) – a
list of registration numbers should be entered in
the system, belonging to (property of) an
appropriate wagon type
Train composition characteristics that need to be
respected for Rijeka container terminals are the following:
• Max. length of train composition in Rijeka: 505 m
• Max container load: 72 TEU
• Max number of wagons: 36 (capable to transport
40' container each).
A creation of train composition also needs to follow
certain logic embedded inside the application. User needs
to enter the number of wagons to be used in a composition
and create a train composition by selecting available
wagons in sequence. User has to upload cargo loading list
in Excel form in the system. The system has to distribute
containers to wagons, applying the following logic:
• Goal: maximum allowed load on each wagon
• Dangerous cargo containers have to be placed
single at the wagon
• Refrigerated cargo containers have to be placed at
the end of composition, if possible
• Axle load cannot exceed 20 tons per axle
• Warning has to be issued if high cube (HC)
container is placed on “C intermodal wagon”
• Containers need to be placed according to
wagon's loading schema respecting set goal
The end result of the optimization should be a list of
wagons with loaded containers, exportable to Excel,
including train composition, tare weight, net weight, and
gross weight. Also, the output should provide visual
representation of the cargo composition and functionality
to manually rearrange cargo containers placed on wagons
after optimization; again, with final export to
Excel/saveable, and notification that cargo composition is
not optimized, but manually rearranged.
IV. SYSTEM DESCRIPTION AND DISCUSSION OF RESULTS
The system Frontend uses Bootstrap and the following
Bootstrap modules: jQuery, rangeslider.js, NProgress,
FileSaver and SheetJS. Nginx is used to serve static files,
and other bidirectional communication is achieved using
Socket.IO. The server uses Linux Debian Stretch OS.
Backend stability is ensured by using Supervisor module
for Node.js (v10.16.3) run within screen instance.
Database used is MariaDB v10.1.38. Server is leased VPS
and public access is achieved accessing
http:\\www.prailway.host.
Accessing the URL, the user is presented with the
login mask. The user can enter username and password,
select option to be remember on that particular device,
initiate login into the system or push the Contact button,
invoking default e-mail client to contact the administrator
in case of a forgotten password or a need to create a new
account. The login mask is shown in Figure 1.
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Figure 1: Login mask for Prailway optimization application placed on
http:\\www.prailway.host
After logging in, the user is presented with the main
panel. There are two different panels for administrators
and regular users. Administrators have the capability to
add new users, assign access levels and create and reset
entry passwords, while regular users can only use the core
of the application. By using the functionalities of this
panel, the user can load previously saved train
composition, exit from the application or create a new
train composition.
If the user selects the latter option, he needs to enter
the goal train length (maximum allowed train length in
meters), and after that, the user can form the composition,
depending on the number of available (leased) cargo
wagons.
The system contains the embedded data for six wagon
types used by the key pilot action partner: LGS-Z, KGS-Z,
Rgs-Z, Laags, Sggmr22 and Sggr(s). This screen is shown
in Figure 2. The system tracks added wagons in
comparison to pre-set allowed train composition length,
and after the user has entered the available wagons, he is
presented with the mask to upload the Excel bill of lading
in form exported from existent cargo operator’s ERP.
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Figure 2: Screen for train wagon composition selection
The application is able to parse the uploaded Excel list
and to discern relevant data used for cargo optimization,
which includes container type, container weight, type of
goods, code, RID code (dangerous cargo) and other
relevant data.
After the bill of lading is uploaded to the server, it
automatically optimizes the cargo load, considering all
constraints, wagon loading schemas, types, characteristics
and weight of containers to be loaded, their size and other
train composition constraints. The end result is a graphic
representation of the optimized train composition, as
shown in Figure 3. In this example, there is a large
number of wagons that are not necessary to transport the
cargo on a particular bill of lading, because they remain
empty after the optimization and can be excluded from the
composition.
Finally, as required by the project, the user can click
(in case that application is used on a workstation) or swipe
(in case of touch sensitive devices) on a container loaded
to a wagon, and retrieve container info, including size,
TEU, container number, client, seal, size, transported
goods, NHM, colli, tare weight, weight and sum of weight
and tare. The user can then unload the container from the
wagon to the server clipboard (or do the same with several
containers), and then paste them to another wagon
according to personal preferences.
It is evident from Figure 3 that in this particular case,
many wagons that were intially planned, after applied
optimizations, are in fact not neccessary to transport pre-
defined cargo list, and can be exluded from the train
composition.
The layout of the wagon unload screen for manual
placement after optimization is shown in Figure 4 on the
following page.
Figure 3: Output of optimization process
MIPRO 2020/DE-DS

Figure 4: Manual placement mode
Finally, the user can export the formed composition in
Excel format, that includes all data contained in the input
list, but enriched with wagon composition and container
numbers loaded to containers with positions (left, center
left, center, center right or right-positioned) according to
technical loading schemas. This Excel spreadsheet can be
used as a container to be further uploaded to ERP systems,
or directly by railway personnel to oversee and coordinate
container loading on wagons.
V. CONCLUSION
When loading cargo on wagons, it is important to
optimize loading, considering the wagon capacity and
state of the railway rules. As a part of TalkNet Interreg
Central Europe project, the lack of optimization and
structured methodology in optimization of contained
loading on wagons has been noted.
After the funding was secured, a key pilot project
partner has been identified in form of a railway cargo
transport company that provided an insight into the
business processes of container cargo transport by using
railway.
Business process modeling was composed of several
steps that included the analysis of input data and bill of
lading, characteristics of used containers (size and type),
technical engineering analysis of used wagon types,
analysis of the railway infrastructure that imposes
limitations on rail traffic and, finally, the analysis of
technology and methodology to be used during the
optimization process.
After the creation of the functional specification, IT
technology analysis process was performed, where
adequate server resources and development technologies
were acquired and identified. The application has been
created, and it was alpha and beta tested, with the last
phase being the user acceptance testing. The end result
was very satisfying, and a structured application was
produced, providing contained loading and placement on
different types of wagons that is accessible to all port
stakeholders.
MIPRO 2020/DE-DS
The achieved level of implementation and
functionality has justified the project goals, as the
container placement and loading are now not just reliant
on operator’s experience and heuristics, but are structured
and algorithm-supported. However, the application can be
significantly upgraded. For example, at the moment, it is
aimed towards railway leading to port of Rijeka and its
container terminals. Railway rules are hardcoded in the
system. Furthermore, it contains technical loading
schemas for wagons types used by the key partner, but not
for all possible wagons and tentatively those used by other
rail cargo operators.
Possible venues for upgrade are configurable settings
for limitations of the railway, and different loading
schemas for other wagon types, that would enable the
inclusion of other cargo operators. Considering the
ongoing implementation of a Port Community System
(PCS) in port of Rijeka, there is also a possibility of
interfacing this application with the PCS railway module,
to achieve additional synergies in the railway cargo
optimization arena.
Additionally, the application could be upgraded to
support other ways of exchanging data with the
surrounding ICT systems. Considering that PCS and
container terminal operating systems typically use EDI
and XML-format data exchange, such implementation is
also recommended for railway cargo loading optimization
application as a part of a possible future upgrade
project(s).
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
This work was supported by “TalkNet - Transport and
Logistics Stakeholders Network” project (Interreg V-A
Italy – Croatia 2014-2020) and by University of Rijeka
under the Faculty of Maritime Studies projects.
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