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Home > General info > Glossary |
| Glossary A / B / C / D / E / F / G / H / I / J / K / L / M / N / O / P / Q / R / S / T / U / V / W / X / Y / Z Available train path: capacity of a rail infrastructure required to operate a freight train between 2 points of the rail network during a given time period. Big bag: large-capacity, heavy-duty flexible bag, equipped with straps for use with cranes and other lift equipment to handle bulk goods. Block load: generic term, an entire train dispatched by one sender to one recipient, without regrouping between the pick-up point and the delivery point. Bulk (bulk freight): non-packaged goods, without individually divisible items. Business unit : Freight sales services. "Channel Rail Freight": (cross-channel rail carriage) company whose purpose is to promote rail freight services via the Channel Tunnel. This company is the intermediary between rail operators, and facilitates transport. Co-contracting: procedures involving international transport performed by at least 2 rail companies, who share responsibility and expenses. This type of operation is covered by consignment notes. Consignment notes: in international traffic, operational documents to authorize passage from one country to another and to make official the agreement between contracting parties (cf. contract of transport). Container: standardized transport container, with devices to facilitate handling and securing, specially designed for intermodal goods carriage. A container is an intermodal transport unit. Contract of transport: official form used by Fret SNCF for traffic in France establishing the agreement signed between the contracting parties. Customs transit: The customs transit regime applies to goods which must be carried under customs supervision (circulation or goods “under customs”). For import goods carried under this classification, all duties, taxes and other fees which are otherwise applicable are suspended from the entry point into the European Union to the site where they become subject to customs formalities. For exports, this classification guarantees the applications of measures stipulated in the agreements applying to exports (exemption of VAT, duty reimbursements).  Dangerous goods: materials which are inherently likely to endanger persons or property, and/or to pollute the environment. Such goods are subject to specific national and international regulations, which complete internal SNCF rules. Direct train: loaded train dispatched without regrouping or stops on the route. EWS: English, Welsh & Scottish (EWS), the largest freight carrier in Great Britain. EWS carries bulk goods, provides combined transport, logistics for distribution centres and international traffic via the Channel Tunnel, as well as parcel service and postal carriage Freight: goods being carried Freight carriage: all operations involving collection and distribution between marshalling yards and the local freight service station. Freight station: station open to all or part of the freight service. Freightways: all train-paths built by common agreement with infrastructure managers, enabling freight trains to maintain continuous cross-border traffic on international itineraries. Heavy train: loaded train weighing more than 2,400 gross tonnes Hot box: technical incident during transit: heating of the axle housings. Detectors periodically measure the temperature of the axles all along the rail lines. Hub: a marshalling yard dedicated partially or totally to international service, and equipped with a management organization designed to provide reliability and development of such services Intercontainer: international company for the development of combined transport and transport under controlled temperatures. Intermodal transport: shipment of goods in a specially designed transport unit, using at least two modes of transport (rail and road for example), without trans-shipment of the goods themselves. Intermodal transport units : containers, swap bodies and heavy goods trailers. Interoperability: the capability of an international train to operate on either side of an international border, with the given technical requirements for each rail system along the itinerary. Light-rail motor tractor: internal-combustion locomotive, generating less than 220 KW, specifically designed for manoeuvres, terminal service or construction and maintenance trains. Local freight service: operation involving transporting a rail vehicle between a rail yard and the station in charge of local service and vice versa. Marshalling yard: operational site, where wagons are sorted and grouped into batches. Metric-tonne kilometre: number of tonnes carried, multiplied by the number of kilometres covered. Multimodal transport: shipment of goods using at least two different modes of transport. Multi-purpose locomotive: a locomotive able to run on different types of electrical systems and to pull various types of loads. Night train/Overnight Express: regular non-stop express train which runs at night. Owner (operator) of private siding: The owner (operator) of a private siding signs a siding contract with SNCF. Piggyback traffic: carriage of goods in which the vehicle (or simply the swap body) is forwarded by rail for the main part of its itinerary. Pre-transport inspection: operation carried out by a specifically trained and certified member of personnel, involving visual examination of each side of rail vehicles and their loads, in order to ensure that shipments do not pose a risk to the safety of traffic, persons or property. Private siding: one or more private tracks and their connection to the rail system, enabling rail service, without trans-shipment, within industrial establishments or industrial, commercial or port complexes. Private siding: all facilities composing a private siding and equipment within a company to carry out rail transport. Rail movement: service involving the organization and performance of all shipments of rail vehicles in accordance with conditions defined in the service contract and specifications of a given order. Reliability: respect of Fret SNCF commitments to the client involving transport of client goods from departure to arrival. RENFE: Spanish national rail company Representative: a specific agent assigned to a client to manage orders from the moment they are taken to their final phase, and to provide the interface with the client in case of incident. Réseau Ferré de France (RFF) [France Rail Network]: RFF, created in 1997, has significantly modified the organization of the French rail system. As prime contractor, manager and owner of the national rail network, RFF has 4 primary missions:  operate and maintain the systemdevelop and improve the networkmanage assetsmanage outstanding debtsRID: regulations concerning international rail transport of dangerous goods. Road haulage: road logistics service, requested by a client in addition to a rail freight contract of transport (collection of goods to be warehoused, delivery of goods to depots, collection or delivery of goods on client sites). RTEFF: TransEuropean Rail Freight Network Service diesel: diesel-powered light-rail motor-tractor to carry out manoeuvres and local freight service. Shipment or Transport: the complete process of moving a railway vehicle of one or several wagons (grouping) or an entire train (locomotive +wagons) from a departure point to an recipient. There are 2 main types of freight carriage: either by block load (an entire train) or shipment in separate wagons as grouped loads. Shuttle: service providing a regular and frequent link between 2 specific points. Swap body: removable superstructure of a heavy goods road vehicle, with standardized dimensions and certain attachment equipment, to facilitate trans-shipment to and from rail wagons. A swap body is an intermodal transport unit. Traffic flow: freight traffic between 2 economic zones defined by an origin and a destination. Trans-shipment yards: specialized yards to transfer intermodal transport units, swap bodies, or containers from one type of carrier to another (rail/road). Trenitalia: Italian national rail company Wagon grouping: procedure to transport towed rail vehicles (single wagons) in groups or batches. Wagon sheet: a fabric tarpaulin, which may or may not be plastic-coated, and which is used to protect goods carried. |
