Analysis of rail freight transportation in Turkey

Except for some exceptional cases, only road transport within transportation systems provides door-to-door transportation service. However, although road transportation is widely preferred, it is not ideal and economical. In the case of transporting large amounts of heavy and bulky loads over long distances, the most appropriate choice is rail transportation. However, when the transport operations in the railway network are examined, it is seen that they mostly benefit from the road transport. Sometimes, maritime transportation is also added to this transport chain. From this perspective, freight transport carried out in rail transportation systems are generally made as combined transportation. It is seen that the railways provide the required conditions expected from the transportation systems in general more compared to other transportation types. On the other hand, since rail transport systems have a very comprehensive and complex structure, it is especially faced with constant difficulties in the planning phase. The most important tools to be used in solving the problems that arise are no doubt models. In addition, while the transportation systems are imagining, the plans to be made in order to operate them in the most convenient way are only possible through the models. In this study, O-D matrices that prepared based on freight transportation database and each of which represented a load group carried are assigned into Turkey's Freight Railway Transport Network formed with the aid of Transport program, based on a minimum cost criteria. Finally, the movements of the loads were described on a network consisting of regional centers, central stations and links in the rail network and road central connections. The amount of freight carried, the number of wagons, trains and trucks, the cost and duration of loading-carrying-unloading operations were calculated. Capacities and densities on the links in railway network were determined. Finally, analysis was terminated by making some evaluations.