GATX Rail Europe is upgrading its fleet by introducing the ACTS solution for freight railcars to meet the increasingly dynamic demands of the logistics market.
By installing the new ACTS-compatible railcar solution, the operator significantly expands intermodal transport capabilities, particularly for sectors such as waste management and industrial logistics.
The new configuration enables more efficient integration of rail transport into complex logistics chains, where operational flexibility and speed are essential, especially given the growing volumes of goods transported over medium and long distances in Europe.
From Testing to Large-Scale Implementation
As part of the “Waste on Rail” initiative, the ACTS* solution for railcars, developed by GATX, has already been tested under real-world operating conditions. The first tests involved transporting waste to a local incineration facility, demonstrating the system’s technical functionality.
The tests confirmed that the solution can support regular logistics flows, but large-scale expansion depends on market conditions and national regulations. Currently, over 400 million tons of waste are transported annually in Europe, but the share of rail transport remains low, at less than 10%, indicating significant growth potential for such solutions.
At the same time, European strategies aimed at reducing CO₂ emissions and shifting freight transport from road to rail support the development of these technologies. Rail transport generates, on average, up to four times fewer emissions than road transport for similar volumes of freight.
The ACTS Solution: Modularity and Technical Performance
At the heart of the ACTS solution is an intermodal railcar built on the Sggmrss platform, specially adapted for handling the containers specific to this system. Its configuration includes four rotating platforms, which allow for the rapid and flexible operation of the loading units without the need for complex infrastructure.
Technically, the wagon is designed to transport 5.95-meter-long ACTS containers as well as 20-foot ISO hybrid containers. Each of the four rotating platforms has a dead weight of approximately 2,800 kg, and the wagon’s total load capacity reaches 107,100 kg. At the same time, each container can have a gross weight of up to 20,000 kg, which allows for the handling of significant volumes of cargo.
With these features, the ACTS solution offers high transport capacity and increased operational efficiency. In practice, a single train equipped with such cars can carry the load of dozens of trucks, helping to reduce road traffic, optimize logistics costs, and lower the environmental impact.
One of the most important advantages of the ACTS system is its high flexibility in cargo handling. The rotating platform concept allows for horizontal unloading using truck-mounted systems, without the need for complex rail terminals; vertical unloading, in the case of 20-foot ISO containers, using cranes or reach stackers; and the handling of light bulk materials, such as municipal waste, industrial waste, or biomass (e.g., wood chips)
This versatility significantly reduces operating times and allows for the use of existing infrastructure, including in areas where there are no traditional intermodal terminals.
With this solution, GATX aims to integrate rail transport more efficiently into multimodal logistics chains. In Europe, intermodal transport already accounts for over 20% of total rail freight transport, and demand is steadily growing, particularly in the industrial and recycling sectors.
*ACTS – Abroll Container Transport System
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