The role of digital technologies in the issue of competitiveness of rail freight with a sea mode of transport

Abstract

The article deals with the analysis of comparison between sea and railway transport, based on the application of digital technologies to railway transport. Criteria for assessing the competitiveness of modes of transport are transport safety, transit time, and the cost of transportation. Safety, as a criterion for assessing competitiveness between modes of transport, is highlighted in a separate section of the work, which describes the digital technologies applicable to the railway, namely: BIM, GSM-R (LTE-R), ERTMS(ETCS), RFID sensors, PTC, TMS. These innovations are the concept of the digital railway. The digital railway is the digital counterpart of railway transport in reality and it will be compared with real sea transport. The authors considered a promising project Rail Baltica (transport corridor connecting Scandinavia, the Baltic States, and Western Europe), and took the main route of world cargo, such as Europe-China-Europe. The data in this article are real and presented by specialists of such companies as insurance company “Pari”, Eurasian Railway Alliance OTLK ERA (UTLC), and many other well-known companies - brands in the transport sector (carriers, freight forwarders).