BASF is the world's leading chemical company, headquartered in Ludwigshafen, Germany. TThe industrial sidings of the Ludwigshafen facility, comprising nearly 300 km of track, rank among the largest in Europe. The facility includes own marshalling yard with a double track hump, more than 20 classification sidings and enormous capacity of holding tracks. Each day, dozens of production halls have to be supplied with rail cars to deliver material and transport finished products. Some goods are also transported via the nearby KTL container terminal.

Country

Germany

Client / Owner

BASF

Timeframe

2002-2005

Terminal type

Industrial sidings with marshalling yard

Problems and study goals

The main objective of the simulation studies (partly conducted in cooperation with Dresden Technical University) was to rationalise operations and assess the impact of the reconstruction of the nearby container terminal. To support these objectives, the following key issues and tasks were identified:

  • Reduction of 24-hour operations to an 18-hour operating window
  • Investigation of low utilisation of shunting locomotives and personnel
  • Reduction of shunting and train formation costs
  • Improving the management of holding tracks
  • Evaluation of the benefits of hump and track scales modernisation
  • Evaluation of the benefits of tracks equipped with locally controlled electric switches
  • Operation of the facility during the reconstruction of the KTL terminal

Study results

Across several simulation studies, numerous experiments were conducted to investigate these issues, and the results were provided to both the customer and the project partner. The simulation studies helped rationalise industrial sidings operations and reduce operating costs. Operational measures for the reconstruction phase were proposed and evaluated, and new operating concepts were developed that enabled a reduction of 24-hour operations to a shorter operating window.

More information about this project can be found in the following article (in German) - Die rechnergestützte Simulation des Betriebs in Werkbahn – BASF Ludwigshafen.