10143226Reducing traction energy through improved freight aerodynamicsClosedSmall Business Research InitiativeInnovate UKTransport accounts for more than a quarter of UK climate affecting emissions. Yet rail freight, where each train can remove 76 HGVs from our roads and reduce emissions by 76%, carries just 7% of UK freight. The UK government has established a rail freight growth target of at least 75% in freight moved on our congested railways. Container freight is highly sensitive to cost, and energy costs are significant, particularly at higher speeds. Yet higher speed freight can allow more freight to access the network, while minimising effect on passenger timetables and avoiding staff costs as trains wait for passenger services to overtake. Traction electricity and diesel expenditure for franchised train operators exceeds £1bn, meaning even small changes to the traction energy used makes a large difference to the costs, and therefore attractiveness of the rail freight sector. Siemens Mobility is UK Rail's leading innovator, employing 5500 in factories and design centres in the UK, since first opening in London in 1843, as well as supporting numerous UK SMEs. This project, undertaken by Siemens Mobility and University of York, will enable savings in containerised freight energy costs and facilitate increased access to railway networks. Aerodynamic drag factors used in railway traction modelling date back to a very different era, size and shape of rail freight, affecting decisions on access to constrained routes. Global convergence on 40-foot containers has affected loading patterns on rail and there is a lack of simple tool to assist in optimising loading of trains, or optimise speed where practicable on the rail network. By combining measured data with traction simulation, new validated data will allow accurate modelling and decision support tool. Optimisations in loading pattern and practicable aerodynamic improvements will be studied in readiness for live demonstration in a future phase.