Railroad Terminal: Understand what it is for and its importance

You have most likely passed in your life a bus terminal, which are like the end points of the bus lines, boarding and disembarking trips, etc. But, what do you know about the railroad terminal? Here in this article, we will explain in detail what a railroad terminal is, its importance and functioning.

To begin with, it is important to determine its role. A railroad terminal serves as the end point for railroad lines, as well as at bus terminals. However, as we are talking about a cargo rail terminal here, its operation is a little different.

It is at these “end points” of a line that cargo loading or unloading takes place. As the lines make circular paths, that is, they always return to the same terminal, there is a stipulated logistics for the loads to be loaded or unloaded in an efficient and appropriate manner.

Importance of the railroad terminal

Since the construction of the first railroad in 1854, in the southeastern part of the country, railroads have become a practical and effective way of taking goods produced or extracted, replacing animal traction, which was the main means of transport at the time.

Until the mid-1920s, the railroad sector was the main means of transporting these cargoes. With the prioritization of current governments for investment in the road sector, aiming at attracting foreign automobile companies, the railroad modal ended up being neglected, going through a long period of difficulties, lack of investment and precarious infrastructure.

This scenario began to change in the 1990s, when private companies started to control a large part of the national railroad network, strengthening investments, revitalizing existing lines and building new networks.

As a result, several issues about the railroad transport mode gain more prominence, among them the importance of a railroad terminal.

Well, as the main function of the train lines of the freight railroads is to carry out the transport of these items for internal consumption or for export, a rail terminal is essential.

It is precisely for this reason that the terminals must be built close to the main destination locations of the lines, or in the vicinity of the production sectors, facilitating the loading and unloading of loads. 

In these terminals, the items produced, coming from the industries or agribusiness, for example, are positioned in the train cars, thus being able to continue their journey to the desired destination. This example works well when we talk about a rail loading terminal.

On the other hand, a rail unloading terminal has the opposite function. With a technological apparatus and well-organized systems, the goods, normally placed in containers, are removed and delivered to previously stipulated destinations. 

In this way, the railroad terminal plays an extremely important role, since it is in these spaces that there is an entire complex apparatus to be able to position or remove loads efficiently, without loss or waste of goods, which would generate undue losses for the sectors of transport. production.

Terminal efficiency

As we can see, a railroad terminal has a fundamental role in the cargo transport process in the national territory. But, they only have this importance because of the efficiency of these spaces.

This efficiency is due to several reasons: qualified professionals, well-organized infrastructure, state-of-the-art machines and tools and much more.

The logistics of the railroad sector is essential for travel to be fast, efficient and without problems during the journey. Precisely for this reason, the factors mentioned above are indispensable for a railroad terminal, and we will explain why.

If a company organizes a delivery of a certain type of cargo, stipulating a time for the end of the trip, combining all the details with the recipients and etc., it is essential that the process of loading the cargo is fast and efficient, preventing the agreement previously stipulated is breached.

Just as loading must be speeded up, the unloading of wagon items must also be well organized, mainly for the same reason mentioned above, the organizational logistics of the railroad line at these terminals.

Regarding the components that are part of these terminals, we can mention some more important ones. There are also some fundamental divisions, which vary according to the needs of each railroad terminal.

If a terminal has the function of loading solid bulk, for example, there are some types of components that are indispensable:

• Terminal beach: old model, which bases the loading and unloading processes through the use of forklifts and mechanical shovels, which can only carry out these procedures with stopped freight trains.

• Loading walls: mechanical shovels are also used, but they are positioned on high walls, above the height of the wagons, allowing loading from above.
• Loading silos: they are large structures, which use the gravity factor to “launch” the products in the wagons in a more practical way.

In unloading, which is the process of removing goods from wagons, wagon dumpers, terminal beaches, hoppers and elevators are the most used.

Regarding the loading and unloading of containers, which are large and heavy structures, formed by metallic components and parts, other types of mechanisms are used, such as: 

• Forklifts;
• Overhead cranes;
• Gantries;
• Transtainer;

In this way, each type of merchandise that will be loaded or unloaded undergoes the action of certain types of instruments, but, regardless of the process, efficiency is a determining factor for the quality of the railroad terminal.

Weights

Railroad terminals are also essential for carrying out load weighing. As this process is essential for any type of railroad line, the quality of the scales and the mechanisms for calculating these weighing is extremely important.

There are two types of railroad scales: the static scale, where weighing takes place with trains stopped at a railroad terminal, and dynamic scales, which allow weighing to be carried out even when trains are in motion.

The company MASSA Pesagem e Automação provides Dynamic railroad Scales for various terminals in the country, ensuring, through the application of modern technological systems and state-of-the-art structures, an efficient and precise weighing, allowing the trains to travel without interruption. 

Conclusion on the railroad terminal

We can conclude with the article that the railroad terminals are essential for the quality of the national railroads, largely because of their functions and the composition apparatus. Loading and unloading of loads is essential for the operation of the railroads, and it is at the railroad terminals that this happens. In addition, the weighing of loads, which are essential to determine the weight of the wagons, is also carried out at the railroad terminals through the use of railroad Scales, further increasing the importance and the need for the terminals. 

Complementary sources to the support material: https://www.ufjf.br/engenhariadeproducao/files/2011/05/guilhermedelgadodeoliveira.pdf

http://www.multicommerce.com.br/TFI.pdf

http://www.ferroeste.pr.gov.br/modules/conteudo/conteudo.php?conteudo=28