Transport And Communications 2026, 14(1):19-25 | DOI: 10.26552/tac.C.2026.1.3

A New Operating Model for Single Wagonload Transport: From Train Formation to Integrated Customer Service

Miroslav Buc1, Zdenka Bulková2, Jozef Gašparík2, Peter Ihnát1
1 Železničná spoločnosť Cargo Slovakia, Inc., Tomášikova 28B, 821 01 Bratislava
2 Department of Railway Transport, Faculty of Operation and Economics of Transport and Communications, University of Žilina, Žilina, 010 26, Slovakia

Single wagonload transport is one of the most complex production systems in rail freight transport. Its technological complexity results from the combination of local service, marshalling, shunting, long-distance haulage, and subsequent wagon distribution to final customers. The aim of this paper is to propose a technological framework for the revitalization of single wagonload transport in Slovakia, focusing on three key areas: time-organized train formation based on the overnight production cycle, the definition of a core network of train formation and service nodes, and the separate organization of the first and last mile. The paper builds on available data on the development of single wagonload transport in Slovakia, the European Union study on Single Wagonload Traffic and the technological principles of train formation. The result is an operating model combining the concentration of train formation in decisive nodes, regular overnight relations, regional collection and distribution links, digital information about wagon consignments and selective support for service points. The proposed model may serve as a professional basis for further discussion on maintaining and modernising single wagonload transport as part of sustainable rail freight transport.

Keywords: single wagonload transport, train formation, overnight production cycle, marshalling yard, first mile, last mile, rail freight transport
JEL classification: L92, R41, R48

Received: May 12, 2026; Revised: May 12, 2026; Accepted: May 28, 2026; Prepublished online: June 30, 2026; Published: June 28, 2026  Show citation

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Buc, M., Bulková, Z., Gašparík, J., & Ihnát, P. (2026). A New Operating Model for Single Wagonload Transport: From Train Formation to Integrated Customer Service. Transport And Communications, 14(1), 19-25. doi: 10.26552/tac.C.2026.1.3
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