Rail rates and system costs are important to the profitability of Western Canadian agriculture. This importance is due to the high cost of transporting grain to export position combined with rails cost advantage in relation to other modes of bulk transportation. World grain markets are competitive and any increase in freight rate caused by inefficiency or market power can not be passed on consumers. <p>This thesis introduces and discusses a way to create competition in the rail industry through vertical separation of rolling stock and track. The discussion is motivated by a transactions cost framework, whereby key features of a vertically integrated railway such as we have in Canada are contrasted with those of a vertically separated railway, as is the case today in Sweden. The two systems share common characteristics, but the way system participants interact are ultimately very different. <p>Canadas vertically integrated railway system creates strong incentives for infrastructure investment along with maintenance and congestion management, but a vertically integrated system discourages new competition in the industry. Conversely, the vertically separated Swedish system creates strong incentives for inter-rail competition and improvements in customer service. Canadas rail system is now less subsidized than ever, while the Swedish system still requires significant public outlay, and will need continued government support. <p>Due to its cost structure, the choice of regulation in the rail sector continues to be a trade-off between railway cost recovery and fair rates for shippers. As applied to Canada, the example of Sweden illustrates that a limited access regime in rail can operationally function and reduce market power concerns. An access regime can achieve this reduction by supporting contestable pricing that will limit the ability of railways to price discriminate.

Rail rates and system costs are important to the profitability of Western Canadian agriculture. This importance is due to the high cost of transporting grain to export position combined with rails cost advantage in relation to other modes of bulk transportation. World grain markets are competitive and any increase in freight rate caused by inefficiency or market power can not be passed on consumers. <p>This thesis introduces and discusses a way to create competition in the rail industry through vertical separation of rolling stock and track. The discussion is motivated by a transactions cost framework, whereby key features of a vertically integrated railway such as we have in Canada are contrasted with those of a vertically separated railway, as is the case today in Sweden. The two systems share common characteristics, but the way system participants interact are ultimately very different. <p>Canadas vertically integrated railway system creates strong incentives for infrastructure investment along with maintenance and congestion management, but a vertically integrated system discourages new competition in the industry. Conversely, the vertically separated Swedish system creates strong incentives for inter-rail competition and improvements in customer service. Canadas rail system is now less subsidized than ever, while the Swedish system still requires significant public outlay, and will need continued government support. <p>Due to its cost structure, the choice of regulation in the rail sector continues to be a trade-off between railway cost recovery and fair rates for shippers. As applied to Canada, the example of Sweden illustrates that a limited access regime in rail can operationally function and reduce market power concerns. An access regime can achieve this reduction by supporting contestable pricing that will limit the ability of railways to price discriminate.

The routing and scheduling problem is a complex task and a critical challenge in the railway sector, given the involvement of various railway infrastructural and operational characteristics. Moreover, this problem has a direct impact on the costs of railway services due to the routes trains are taking, and the environmental impact caused by the length of their journeys. Although numerous studies have addressed the routing and scheduling of passenger trains, fewer have focused on the routing and scheduling of freight trains. Therefore, the primary objective of this study is to enhance the utilization of rail freight routes by reducing the travel time of freight trains. To determine the optimal train routing and transit durations, as well as to identify the pivotal operational and infrastructural variables that impact the travel time of freight trains, a mixed-integer linear optimization model has been developed. Furthermore, enhancing the efficiency of rail freight entails leveraging automation and digitalization in rail freight transportation to improve rail performance, multimodal services, and end-user satisfaction due to an improvement in the utilization of the network. The AnyLogic simulation software tool has been employed to evaluate the influence of digital automatic coupling (DAC) on marshalling yard train processing time and yard capacity. DAC is seen as an enabling technology for automation in yards and the use of longer and faster trains on the line. The marshalling yard of Hallsberg will be used as a case study. The initial findings indicate that an increase in train length from 700 meters to 800 meters has a negligible impact on train schedules. In comparison to the prevailing scenario, the implementation of technologies that facilitate reduced inter-train spacing and halving of block separation enhances the capacity of the railway network. It is similarly important to accelerate train speeds by 10% in order to enhance the utilization of rail freight routes, which results in a more homogeneous traffic flow on the line due to a speed closer to that of passenger trains, thereby increasing the capacity of the network. The results of Hallsberg's marshalling yard demonstrate that the introduction of DAC Type 4 has led to an enhanced capacity for handling trains at the arrival, classification, and departure yards. Further capacity gains are possible with the adoption of DAC Type 5, which allows for the production of longer trains in all three parts of the marshalling yard. This is since a greater number of wagons are arriving, thereby enabling the formation of trains to be completed more expeditiously. However, the introduction of longer trains has led to a challenge in terms of the number of trains arriving at the marshalling yard. This is due to the fact that longer trains require a longer uncoupling and classification process. The primary rationale for enhancing capacity from the base to DAC Type 4 and DAC Type 5, in conjunction with the implementation of longer trains across all sections of the marshalling yard, is the reduction in uncoupling times. The integration of findings from the mixed-integer linear optimization model and the AnyLogic model for Hallsberg's marshalling yard serves to emphasize the significance of longer trains and the introduction of DAC Type 4 and DAC Type 5. The total travel time for trains traveling from Stockholm to Gothenburg, with a classification stop at Hallsberg, can be reduced by up to 33% for a single train. / Optimering av rutt- och schemaläggning är en komplex uppgift och en kritisk utmaning inom transport och järnvägssektorn, med tanke på involveringen av olika intressenter och komponenter. Dessutom har detta problem en direkt inverkan på kostnaderna för järnvägstjänster och deras miljöpåverkan. Medan många studier har behandlat rutt- och schemaläggning för persontåg, har färre fokuserat på problemet för godståg. Det primära syftet med denna studie är att förbättra utnyttjandet av rutt- och schemaläggningen av godståg genom minskad restid. En linjär optimeringsmodell med blandade heltal har utvecklats för att bestämma den optimala tågruttläggningen och transporttiden, samt för att identifiera de centrala drifts- och infrastrukturvariabler som påverkar godstågens restid. Att förbättra effektiviteten av järnvägsfrakt innebär dessutom att man utnyttjar automatisering och digitalisering inom järnvägsgodstransporter för att förbättra järnvägsprestanda, multimodala tjänster och service för slutanvändarna. Simuleringsverktyget AnyLogic har använts för att utvärdera inverkan av digital automatisk koppel (DAC) på servicetid på rangerbangård och bangårdskapacitet, särskilt i samband med modellering av Hallsbergs rangerbangård. De första resultaten tyder på att en ökning av tåglängden från 700 meter till 800 meter har en försumbar inverkan på tågtidtabellerna. Jämfört med det rådande scenariot ökar implementeringen av signalteknik som underlättar minskat avstånd mellan tågen och halvering av blockseparationen och därmed kapaciteten i järnvägsnätet. Likaså är det viktigt att öka tåghastigheterna med 10 % för att förbättra utnyttjandet av godsrutter på järnväg. Resultaten för Hallsbergs rangerbangård visar att införandet av DAC Typ 4 leder till en utökad kapacitet för att hantera tåg vid ankomst-, klassificerings- och avgångsbangårdarna. Ytterligare kapacitetsvinster är möjliga med antagandet av DAC Typ 5, som möjliggör automatiserad produktion av längre tåg i alla tre delar av rangerbangården. Detta beror på ett större antal inkommande vagnar, vilket gör att tågbildningen kan slutföras snabbare. Införandet av längre tåg har dock lett till en utmaning när det gäller antalet tåg som kommer till rangerbangården. Detta beror på att längre tåg kräver en längre frånkopplings- och klassificeringsprocess. Det primära skälet till att öka kapaciteten från utgångsbasen till DAC Typ 4 och DAC Typ 5, i samband med implementeringen av längre tåg över alla sektioner av rangerbangården, är minskningen av frånkopplingstider. Integrationen av resultaten från den linjära optimeringsmodellen med blandade heltal och AnyLogicmodellen för Hallsbergs rangerbangård understryker betydelsen av längre tåg och införandet av DAC Typ 4 och DAC Typ 5. Den totala restiden för tåg som reser från Stockholm till Göteborg, med rangerstopp i Hallsberg, kan sänkas med upp till 33 % för ett enskilt tåg. Omvänt, för tåg som reser från Göteborg till Stockholm, är minskningar av total restid med upp till 13 % för det första tåget och 11 % för det andra tåget.