The potential of high-speed rail freight in Europe: how is a modal shift from road to rail possible for low-density high value cargo?

European Transport Research Review

An Open Access Journal

Table 2 Vehicle specifications

Parameter	HSRF train^c	Lorry with semi-trailer^d
Vehicle design	Block train with two locomotives and ten single wagons in between	40 t max gross weight, Euro VI emission class, 4+ axles
Max Load [pallets]	900	34
Max speed [km/h]	350	90
Vehicle costs [1000 EUR]	54,800^a	70
Mileage yearly [1000 km/a]	1,008	135
Lifetime [a]	10	6
Personnel costs [EUR/h]	8^b	23.81
Maintenance and other costs [EUR/km]	3	0.21
Fuel	Electricity	Diesel
ed_{max, 0tc} [kWh/km]	38.40	2.12
μ_tc [kWh/km/kg]	1.24_*10⁻⁵	4.06_*10^− 5
λ_tc [kWh/km/(km/h)]	−0.1013	0

^aVehicle cost estimation based on ICE 3/Velaro, with comparable technical properties, assuming a cost increase factor of 2 for chassis, power supply, propulsion, on-board control, factor 1.5 for car body, assembly and acceptance, factor 0.6 for vehicle equipment; ^b Remote-operation 10 trains/person; ^c NGT CARGO specification book and operational concept, fuel demand calculated from own simulations; ^d data from BVU et al. [51], vehicle cost data from Lastauto Omnibus-Katalog [53]: average value of six 18-ton semi-trucks plus 20,000 EUR for the trailer, costs inflation-adjusted to 2030 (annual growth 1.5%), the price is based on a 50% write-down and resell value rate, as it can be found in other sources, fuel demand calculated from fuel station bills for long haul driving cycles [54]