rail exchange yard

English translation: rail transhipment facility/ (US: transshipment)

16:22 Jun 8, 2013
English language (monolingual) [PRO]
Tech/Engineering - Transport / Transportation / Shipping / General
English term or phrase: rail exchange yard
This appears in the following sentence (included in the Background section of a presentation for a railway project):

Development of the port, to consist of a berthing facility, a rail exchange yard and an area to facilitate stockpiling of the bulk commodity.

I have a general idea of what the yard is, but it would be helpful if someone could give me a good definition.

Thanks in advance,
Pedro
Pedro Coral Costa
Local time: 05:23
Selected answer:rail transhipment facility/ (US: transshipment)
Explanation:
This text has been written with little idea about railways, and consequently, the wrong term has been used. At a port, there would be a transhipment facility, where goods may be unloaded from ship and into rail wagons and of course vice-versa. Here, I read between the lines that bulk cargoes (for which a storage facility is also to be provided) will be offloaded as well. They may require direct loading from ship into rail wagons or v.v., or into storage such as silos etc.

'Container terminal' say far too much; this is exclusively for containers, and no other traffic is normally handled.

Marshalling (US: marshaling or classification) yards are generally used to break up and reform freight trains, but not at ports.

Freight depots are normally inland 'transhipment facilities', where freight is delivered by road and loaded into freight wagons.

If you need any further clarification, ask me.
Selected response from:

David Moore (X)
Local time: 06:23
Grading comment
I have checked with the client and this explanation fits perfectly. Thanks!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
3 +2(port) marshalling (UK)/classification (US) yard
Yvonne Gallagher
4rail transhipment facility/ (US: transshipment)
David Moore (X)
3ship-to-rail/intermodal container transfer facility
B D Finch


Discussion entries: 1





  

Answers


1 day 8 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
ship-to-rail/intermodal container transfer facility


Explanation:
I think this might be about a container port and not a rail marshalling yard, but the facility for transfer of containers between rail and ship.

As this seems to be only for ship to rail (and vice versa), it is probably better to use "ship-to-rail" rather than or to supplement "intermodal".

www.allianceshippinggroup.co.uk/tools/glossary-of-shipping-...
"ICTF (INTERMODAL CONTAINER TRANSFER FACILITY) An on-dock facility for moving containers from ship to rail or truck. IMO International Maritime ..."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intermodal_freight_transport



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Note added at 1 day9 mins (2013-06-09 16:32:06 GMT)
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www.bizjournals.com/.../print.../ship-to-train-container-tr...
Dec 14, 2012 – The Port of Savannah, Ga., has a ship-to-rail transfer facility, and the Port of ... “That intermodal container transfer facility will allow for efficient ...

B D Finch
France
Local time: 06:23
Works in field
Native speaker of: English
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1 day 15 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
rail transhipment facility/ (US: transshipment)


Explanation:
This text has been written with little idea about railways, and consequently, the wrong term has been used. At a port, there would be a transhipment facility, where goods may be unloaded from ship and into rail wagons and of course vice-versa. Here, I read between the lines that bulk cargoes (for which a storage facility is also to be provided) will be offloaded as well. They may require direct loading from ship into rail wagons or v.v., or into storage such as silos etc.

'Container terminal' say far too much; this is exclusively for containers, and no other traffic is normally handled.

Marshalling (US: marshaling or classification) yards are generally used to break up and reform freight trains, but not at ports.

Freight depots are normally inland 'transhipment facilities', where freight is delivered by road and loaded into freight wagons.

If you need any further clarification, ask me.

David Moore (X)
Local time: 06:23
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 20
Grading comment
I have checked with the client and this explanation fits perfectly. Thanks!
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +2
(port) marshalling (UK)/classification (US) yard


Explanation:
not absolutely certain but believe it's this.

The area where trains are loaded/unloaded and engines or carriages/wagons are shunted around to "make up" a train. Hence the "exchange"

http://www.infrabel.be/en/residents/construction-sites/expan...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classification_yard

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Note added at 1 hr (2013-06-08 17:54:35 GMT)
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it is also possibly an exchange of track as the train arrives/gets loaded or unloaded and leaves

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Note added at 1 hr (2013-06-08 17:56:47 GMT)
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http://www.irfca.org/docs/marshalling-yards.html

and definition


A marshalling yard is a place where goods trains and other loads (such as wagons coming in from a nearby goods shed) are received, sorted out according to a plan, and new trains formed and dispatched onwards.

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Note added at 19 hrs (2013-06-09 12:02:00 GMT)
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I thought of "shunting" yard as well but only 8 examples in Russia and Iran when I Googled. Otherwise it seems "marshalling/classification" is the term used. "Shunting" is the basic activity taking place as wagons/carriages are shunted around (and has given rise to its use as a term for computer algorithm)

http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/shunting...

noun

(railways) a place where railway coaches are manoeuvred



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Note added at 19 hrs (2013-06-09 12:06:24 GMT)
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or here "switch/transfer" is used

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/shunting


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Note added at 19 hrs (2013-06-09 12:12:25 GMT)
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so perhaps "shunting yard" is more used for the main railway hub rather than in a port facility. Nice image here

http://news.yahoo.com/lightbox/workers-cross-tracks-railroad...

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Note added at 1 day16 hrs (2013-06-10 09:01:39 GMT)
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lots of examples of port marshalling yards. Some here

http://www.port.venice.it/en/railroad-access.html

http://www.serv.be/en/vhc/page/port-ghent-gent
...Each quay is connected to Europe's close-knit rail network via a marshalling yard, whilst the port itself is linked via different waterways to the main European inland waterways...



Yvonne Gallagher
Ireland
Local time: 05:23
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 16

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Edith Kelly: but shunting yard/facility for BE at least this is what the Irish railway workers' trade union calls it.
14 hrs
  -> thanks Edith. I thought this (shunting) was more common until I Googled ; see note added above.

agree  Veronika McLaren: seems right - good research!
18 hrs
  -> Thanks Veronika!
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