Shipping by Train

VPLUS EXPERT also offers railway freight transport services. We provide national, continental and international rail freight.

The choice of intermodal transport reduces freight costs by offering a solution other than off-road shipping. The rail allows long-term supply and door-to-door service. This is an added value for companies looking to expand their business.

VPLUS EXPERT Remark: This mode of shipment also provides additional security for shippers as well as reduced travel time and reduced risks of delays. In addition, the train is the most fuel-efficient means of transport and therefore the lowest carbon emitter. The train, therefore, comes with a much lower carbon footprint, ensuring better environmental compliance.

Road vs. Rail: choosing the right method of transportation for your goods in Thailand

Ground transportation is often the preferred option when transporting goods in South-East Asia. Freight is essential to the world’s economy, to ship goods from one location to another. It is directly linked with the way of doing business we are used to.

Selecting the best-suited option when shipping goods is crucial to better meet the needs of the seller and the buyer.

Rail cargo: Basic knowledge

Bulk Cargo

Most of the time transported by rail, the bulk cargo represents most of the tonnage. The cargo bulk is the perfect way to carry large unpackaged quantities. To unload the goods, a spout or shovel bucket can be used, whether with a liquid or a solid contained in a wagon. Liquids brought into tank cars may be petroleum, chemicals or compressed gases.

For dry bulk commodities such as coal, grain, ore, and track ballast type, hopper cars are used as a way of transport. Thanks to its development, the hopper car participates in the increase of the automated handling of these products at the time of loading and unloading.

Heavy-duty ore traffic

The transport of iron ore and coal is carried out with the longest trains in the world, and the wagons can reach up to 130 tons and the whole train tens of thousands of tons. Each day more than one million tons of coal are transported by train.

Containerization

This intermodal freight transport system uses ‘ISO containers’ which can be loaded with cargo by being sealed and placed on container ships, wagons or trucks. The way the products are being shipped have changed completely since the arrival of containerization.

The use of the same container sizes throughout the world has avoided problems of size and incompatibility between different countries by facilitating transshipment between different gauge trains.

Rolling highways and piggyback service

In Thailand trains are used as the highway. Trucks can be on trains and once they reach their destination, they are unloaded. This method is used in the Channel Tunnel between Bangkok and Nongkhai,. Piggy trains are frequently used by some shipping companies. They are known as trailers but the Container Market is less favorable to them because they lose part of the market.

Special cargo

Containerization or bulk is not suitable for all types of cargo. Some special wagons are designed for this type of cargo.

• The cars are stacked in open or closed auto racks, the vehicles can be on or off the support.
• Steel plates are in modified cars (coil cars)
• Goods that require a regulated temperature during transport can go in refrigerated wagon or refrigerated truck (UIC). There is an increasing number of refrigerated containers.
• For wood or other building materials we can use the Center beam flat cars
• Schnabel wagons are used for oversized and / or extra heavy loads.