Development of an innovative, flexible, cost effective low environmental impact freight pipeline solution for the aggregates sector

货运管道为货运带来了一场潜在的革命。通过重新审视公路和铁路的主要货运方式，Mole Solutions Limited（MSL）开发了一种创新的，优雅的解决方案来解决它们所存在的内在问题：高昂的资本和运营成本，重大的社会环境影响，以及在占主导地位的货运模式中，道路是造成拥堵问题的主要因素。作为一种改变游戏规则的技术和商业解决方案，MSL承认，它需要通过展示其新颖的解决方案来建立市场信誉。因此，该项目侧重于骨料行业，作为实施货运管道概念的范例。MSL与Tarmac和矿产工业研究组织（MIRO）一起完成了TSB资助的概念验证项目，该项目的输出将构成该示范系统项目的基础。该演示系统将在安全的地点建造，并进行测试计划以确定运营成本。该行业已经有很大的兴趣，计划潜在的利益相关者将观察演示系统的运行情况，并得出结论，这是下一次货运革命的开始。该项目将展示一个真正的创新概念，使其能够在最初引入在这一领域，我们的业务首先是在骨料行业，然后进一步发展到其他散装货物运输应用（生物质、钢铁、煤炭）以及零售行业应用。在引入新部门的同时，系统的长度将增加，以提供现有货运模式的可行替代方案。2010年由MSL牵头的DEFRA资助的可行性研究得出结论，该概念提供了非常低的运营成本和显著的社会环境效益，与从道路上移除货物并将其运输到由电力驱动的胶囊中有关。

Freight pipelines offer a potential revolution in freight transport. By taking a fresh look at the major freight transport modes of road and rail, Mole Solutions Limited (MSL) has developed an innovative, elegant solution to the intrinsic problems they present: high capital and operating costs, significant socio-environmental impacts and, in the case of the dominant freight mode, road, a major contributor to the problems caused by congestion.As a game changing technical and commercial solution, MSL acknowledges that it needs to establish market credibility through the demonstration of its novel solution. This project therefore focuses on the aggregate sector as an exemplar for implementation of the freight pipeline concept. MSL, together with Tarmac and the Minerals Industry Research Organisation (MIRO) completed a TSB funded Proof of Concept project, the outputs of which will form the basis to this demonstration system project. The demonstrator system will be constructed at a secure site and a test programme conducted to establish the operating costs.There has already been significant interest within the sector and it is planned that potential stakeholders will observe the demonstrator in action and conclude that this is the start of the next freight transportation revolution.This project will demonstrate a truly innovative concept that will enable its introductioninitially into the aggregates sector, then further development into other bulk freightapplications (biomass, steel, coal) as well as retail sector applications. In parallel tointroduction into new sectors, the length of the systems will increase to provide a viablealternative to current freight transport modes. A DEFRA funded Feasibility Study led by MSL in 2010 concluded that the concept offered very low operating costs and significant socioenvironmental benefits associated with removing freight from roads and transporting it in capsules, powered by electricity.