Logistics and Efficiency of Heavy Traffic

Background. The article is devoted to the study of the organization of the heavyweight movement. The relevance of the topic is related to the steady increase in the average weight of freight trains operating on heavily loaded routes of Russian railways and the corresponding need for a comprehensive assessment of the potential of heavy traffic.

Purpose: to characterize the problematic issues of logistics of heavy traffic in the conditions of the Russian Federation, caused by mixed traffic, different landscape and climate of our country, as well as the reorientation of cargo flows to the east, are considered.

Methods. Methods of comparative analysis, logistics, norming of operational work of railroads, visualization were used.

Results. An analytical review of the problematic field of the organization of heavy traffic from the standpoint of logistics has been performed. The peculiarities of logistics are revealed, relevant development tracks and challenges arising in the organization of heavy traffic are formulated.  An integral indicator is proposed – the Index of the development potential of heavy traffic for a comprehensive assessment of the effectiveness of organizing both a separate route and related multiplicative effects.

Conclusion. It is shown that the use of the indicator will provide a scientifically sound solution to the problem of increasing the capacity of railways in answering the problematic issues of heavy traffic identified in the study.