Parcel tram adopted in Frankfurt

The German city of Frankfurt-am-Main is the latest to investigate parcel delivery using trams. 

 

The idea of using a freight tram as part of the delivery process on the "last mile" started in theory in 2018. The path of the research project led through various iteration stages, most recently with process simulations, to the real operation of the LastMileTram, which has now started. 

 

The VGF freight tram will transport Amazon packages from the "Stadion" stop to the "Zoo" stop and to the Gutleut depot. The transport process on the last mile takes place without the emission of CO2 emissions : the packages and parcels are brought from an Amazon distribution center in Raunheim to the tram station on the outskirts of the city with e-transporters; in the city center, the shipments are delivered from the "Zoo" stops and also from the Gutleut depot to the customers' front doors with electrically powered cargo bikes. The project with the three-stage system of cargo bike, tram and electric transporter is funded by the Hessian Ministry of Economic Affairs, Energy, Transport, Housing and Rural Areas. 

 

"With a delivery concept like the 'LastMileTram' project in Frankfurt, we can finally test and optimize the knowledge and processes gained in the previous project phases in real operation. Our simulation results so far have shown that the three-stage process can achieve economic and ecological advantages compared to the conventional single-stage delivery," explains project manager and university president Prof. Dr. Kai-Oliver Schocke from the Frankfurt UAS . "We hope to be able to establish the concept permanently in Frankfurt in the future and also implement it at other locations in order to significantly reduce road traffic in large cities.”