Freight Transport Plan for a Metropolitan Area - Logistics and Management in the Case of Madrid

When thinking about urban mobility planning, the first things come to mind are probably cycling lanes, policies to support public transport and special taxes for private vehicles. However, even though cities must ensure the daily mobility of their population, many other urban services should be taken into account, such as those required to carry goods and materials between different places. The authors have focused on freight logistics, which represent approximately a 20% of the global transport within the cities. Urban freight transport system is very rigid and has remained unchanged for several decades, this being the consequence of the widespread use of motorized vehicles. Fortunately, the authors are being progressively aware of the consequences of this system, such as serious problems for traffic management, acoustic pollution, or air emissions due to fossil fuel energy consumption. This is why the authors suggest another solution to urban freight transport system, based on the urban rail. The authors have chosen Madrid as a case of study for analysis, because it has a complex but well developed urban rail system. As well as many other cities and communities, Madrid represents a big problem in terms of maintenance and profitability of public services. More precisely, the urban rail of this city is widely underused. If the authors look at it, the authors realize that several lines maintain a low frequency of trains and the whole service is closed during nights. In this context, the principal aim of the authors proposal is to develop an alternative for the current freight transport system within the metropolitan area, which would be based on the urban rail net and complemented with other solutions the closer the authors get in the proximity scale. The system the authors are proposing would be based on three different scales: First of all, some big would be necessary, in order to centralize all the freight arriving to the city. Here, long-distance goods would be transferred to urban trains. Also, these centers could represent new opportunities for the city, as new jobs would be created and the urban area would be reactivated. The second scale would be the urban rail itself, connecting these hubs with the train stations in the city as well as other peripheral communities. Obviously, it would be necessary to adapt the existing stations in order to enable a logistic platform, thus allowing the activity of the different workers without disturbing the preexistent flow of daily users. However, if deliveries were made at night, both the necessary resources and the disruption caused would be minimal. Finally, to ensure the delivery of the goods to the last scale, this is, to the supermarkets, stores or even the individual client, an intermodal structure would be required. An ideal stage would include some car-sharing or rental facilities in the surrounding areas of the train station, based on a common fleet of vehicles (electric, biogas, hydrogen...). This could be complemented by a motorcycle parking for light deliveries, and other systems that would complete the freight shift. The management of this service in cities and metropolitan poses a big challenge, as it would represent a significant change for urban environments. Not only the authors would solve many traffic problems, thus improving air quality and reducing noise, but also the authors could have more free public space for pedestrian use, green surfaces, etc. The authors are aware that this project has many issues to analyze, evaluate and resolve. A strong compromise from transport and trading companies would be needed, while customers should modify some consumption habits (for example, by buying local products in order to reduce the delivery process). However, the authors believe there are alternatives to the current system, and that the authors can transform cities progressively in order to optimize the resources while facilities for the population are improved. This way the authors will ensure a better environment and a better quality of life for future generations.