When the tram becomes a parcel carrier

Delivery vans are harmful to the climate and clog up the streets, especially in cities. In Karlsruhe, researchers have now presented a project on how small parcels can also be transported by tram. A solution for the transport transition?

From Kilian Schroeder

published on 24.07.2024

As the door of the tram opens, the bicycle trailer with the small white container rolls off. Without anyone steering it, it manoeuvres into a corner of the tram. As if it knew exactly where it was going, the trailer waits until it reaches the right station and slowly drives off again as soon as the doors open – the only person to be seen in the presentation video of the ‘LogIKTram’ project is the tram driver, who briefly secures the trailer. If the project managers in Karlsruhe have their way, this trailer will soon be picked up by a bicycle courier who will then deliver the many small parcels inside. Away from the Sprinter and towards delivery by public transport.

For a good three years, researchers in Karlsruhe have been working on a concept of what such a delivery service could look like. The idea sounds logical: instead of driving expensive and climate-damaging delivery trucks or even lorries into cities, smaller parcels in particular could also be transported by trams or suburban trains. After all, they run anyway, but are not always fully utilised. For the project participants, the potential is there – but they are also putting the brakes on expectations.

Potential for small orders

‘The basic idea is to utilise existing resources sensibly,’ says Michael Frey from the Institute of Vehicle Systems Engineering in Karlsruhe and scientific project manager for the ‘Gütertram’. „In concrete terms, this means filling the vehicles when there is not so much going on. There is a lot of potential, especially for small orders.“ The idea came to him when he once travelled on a half-empty train. Various stakeholders around the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology(KIT) then came together: The Research Centre for Information Technology in Karlsruhe, the region’s transport associations and Deutsche Bahn also got involved.

The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection (BMWK) funded ‘LogIKTram’ with around 2.75 million euros. The project is part of the ‘RegioKargo’ initiative, which aims to investigate new forms of delivery transport for the Karlsruhe region.

Based on the Karlsruhe dual light rail system, which combines urban and rail transport, working groups examined the various sub-areas: for example, the logistics and operator concept, the hardware of the autonomous bicycle trailer, the effects on ‘normal’ passenger transport and public relations. Frey says that investments were made in these areas in particular. ‘We realised early on that if we wanted to transport goods in the tram, we had to take people with us.’

The demand for climate-friendly delivery transport is high: according to the Federal Statistical Office, trucks transported over 3.6 billion tonnes of goods on German roads in 2022 – by far the largest share of German freight transport. This is a major contributor to emissions from the transport sector, which accounts for around a fifth of total German emissions. Added to this is road congestion, which is increasing dramatically with ever heavier lorries. Increasing online trade is exacerbating the existing challenges. So it’s no wonder that local authorities and the federal government are looking for climate-friendly alternatives.

City hubs for onward transport

In passenger transport, the container naturally takes up space that is needed by people depending on the time of day. According to the project managers, however, there are always gaps: For example, at night, later in the morning, or even in work traffic, when everyone goes to the city centre but hardly anyone goes to the outskirts. There may well be room for a bicycle trailer with lots of small parcels. And since modern trams are at ground level anyway, the trailer would not need an additional ramp at the platforms.

For onward transport, the project also wants to set up small storage stations at the tram stops where the parcels can be left for a short time. ‘We are planning city hubs where the parcels can be temporarily stored – but we are talking about short time windows and not days,’ says Lukas Barthelmes, research assistant at the Institute of Transport and responsible for analysing the effects of the ‘freight tram’ on other traffic in the project. These hubs are particularly useful if the parcels are transported at night and the bike courier cannot arrive immediately. ‘After all, the parcel carrier shouldn’t ring at three in the morning,’ says Barthelmes.

Goods by tram – that already existed in the past

In itself, the idea of transporting parcels and goods by tram is nothing new. In Dresden, for example, Volkswagen supplied its factory with the ‘CargoTram’. Goods have also travelled along tram tracks in Zurich and Berlin. In Vienna, even coffins were transported to the central cemetery by tram during the world wars. Almost 20 years ago, ‘Wiener Linien’ also trialled the introduction of a ‘freight tram’, but the project was soon discontinued due to a lack of customer interest. Frey is convinced that the Karlsruhe concept, where the container is integrated into the passenger transport system, could also work in other cities – for example on the S-Bahn.

The potential is definitely there: A container can hold 30 to 50 parcels, three to four of which could replace a delivery van. If the trams run every 10 minutes and two containers could always be on board, this would quickly add up to something – even if concrete figures are difficult to give, according to Barthelmes, because it depends on the final concept. ‘Our transport model shows that it can be a practicable and climate-friendly solution, especially in dense city centres, where parcels can then be easily delivered by cargo bike,’ says Barthelmes.

For Wulf-Holger Arndt, this is one of the advantages of the Karlsruhe project. He heads the ‘Mobility and Space’ department at the Technical University of Berlin and has been involved in commercial transport for more than 30 years. „The “Gütertram” in itself is right and sensible. Freight trains were quite common 70-80 years ago before lorries took over the roads,“ he says. Nevertheless, Arndt puts the brakes on enthusiasm. „Today, the political framework is lackingfor such projects to be successful. As long as we continue to promote lorry traffic on the roads so heavily, a freight tram will not be financially viable.“

Political will and more funding programmes

This puts the Karlsruhe researchers at the centre of the political tensions surrounding the German transport revolution – and clearly identifies the limits of their project. ‘We don’t see ourselves as a solution to replace everything else,’ says Frey. „We see ourselves more as a building block in the transport revolution. Delivery vans will still be needed, but each one we replace is worth replacing.“ And Barthelmes also says: ‘In the end, the freight tram is a supplement to the existing system.’

In order to become established in the long term, such projects would also need the political will. Specifically, Arndt is calling for local authorities to be given more freedom to impose restrictions on transport that is not sustainable. ‘If, for example, they could demand that only emission-free deliveries are allowed in certain areas, parcel delivery by tram could perhaps become more popular.’ This would also require more funding programmes from the Ministry of Transportfor freight transport. „Far too little is simply being done. A dedicated programme for commercial transport would be important in order to do more for climate protection in this area,“ says Arndt.

Nevertheless, all three agree that it makes sense to continue researching. ‘We must continue to make progress in research projects and demonstrate the feasibility and economic viability,’ says Frey. ‘Then at some point there will also be the motivation in politics to adapt the framework conditions accordingly.’ That is why there is already a follow-up project. Under the long name ‘RegioKargoTramTrain’, the Karlsruhe-based company is now tackling the legal hurdles that are hidden in the Passenger Transport Act and fire safety regulations, for example. So that the small white container will one day travel regularly on the tram after all.