Search

'SOME ENCOURAGING SIGNS' 'The July 4th holiday complicated an analysis of U.S. rail volumes in July, but there were some encouraging signs,' the Association of American Railroads reported last month. [...]

For deliveries that positively, absolutely have to get there, rail may not be the first mode of transportation that comes to mind. Most of us think of freight trains lumbering [...]

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cor.2008.12.007 Byline: A. Caris, G.K. Janssens Abstract: Pre- and end-haulage of intermodal container terminals involves the pickup or delivery of containers at customer locations. The attractiveness of intermodal transport can be increased by organizing the road segment in the intermodal transport chain more efficiently. In this paper the drayage of containers in the service area of an intermodal terminal is modelled as a full truckload pickup and delivery problem with time windows (FTPDPTW). A two-phase insertion heuristic is proposed to construct an initial solution. This solution is improved with a local search heuristic based on three neighbourhoods. Numerical experiments are described to demonstrate the mechanisms of the heuristics. Author Affiliation: Transportation Research Institute, Hasselt University - Campus Diepenbeek, Wetenschapspark 5 - bus 6, 3590 Diepenbeek, Belgium

In the age of megacities--those defined by the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) as having 10 million or more residents--mass transit solutions are quickly becoming a defining characteristic of [...]

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cor.2004.05.013 Byline: Paul Corry, Erhan Kozan Abstract: Intermodal terminals are important facilities in the container transport network, providing an exchange of containers between road and rail transport. Numerous factors can affect throughput in such highly integrated systems. These include numbers and types of equipment, physical layout, storage capacity and operating strategies. This study aims to improve operating strategies by developing an analytical tool to assist in load planning of container trains. The problem investigated can be described as a dynamic assignment problem with many uncertain parameters. Numerical investigations focus on tuning the proposed model to deal with the uncertainties. Author Affiliation: School of Mathematical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, GPO Box 2434, Brisbane, Qld 4001, Australia

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpe.2004.06.051 Byline: Francesco Parola, Anna Sciomachen Abstract: We present a discrete event simulation modelling approach related to the logistic chain as a whole in the northwestern Italian port system. We analyse the potentiality of the system by giving particular attention to the land transport and the modal split re-equilibrium with the aim of evaluating a possible future growth of the container flows. Some simulation models are analysed for highlighting both features and problems of the logistic activities of the intermodal network. In particular, the first experiment is performed according to the present configuration for validating the model itself and setting the parameters; successive models are developed for evaluating possible different scenarios of the land infrastructures in a 2012 vision. Author Affiliation: Department of Economics and Quantitative Methods, University of Genoa, Via Vivaldi 5, 16126 Genoa, Italy

The Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) of 1991 and its successor, the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21), changed the scope of the transportation planning process from evaluating new regional transportation facilities to developing strategies which promote more efficient use of the existing transportation infrastructure, and created a need for new and improved analytical tools to be used in the analysis and evaluation of intermodal networks. Transportation plans that are developed must consider a range of transportation options designed to meet the transportation needs of a state including all modes and their connections. Transportation planners need to investigate programs aimed at reducing our reliance on single-occupant vehicles and making alternatives such as transit, high-occupancy vehicle lanes, and bicycle and pedestrian facilities a more important part of the transportation program. This paper presents an efficient method for analyzing and evaluating intermodal commuter networks, modeling interactions between modes, making predictions regarding future network activity in terms of traffic volumes and travel costs, and aiding the decision making process in terms of future transportation plans by evaluating alternative policies for improving the efficiency of high occupancy modes, mitigating congestion, reducing energy consumption, and air pollution.

How are intermodal providers treating shippers today? What can we expect from them in the future? Listen to the views of. . . It's been a bumpy couple of years [...]

Intermodal has long been viewed as a masterpiece of strategy for winning traffic back to the railroads from the highways. But it is far from being a completed work. In […]

Intermodal transportation operations are focusing on improving service and have efforts underway to shorten transit times and offer time-definite deliveries. Railroads have increased capacity through adding extra tracks and opening new terminals. On-dock transportation is being improved through new roads and rail lines to get containers from ships to trains faster. Conrail, Union Pacific, Norfolk Southern and other railroads have incentive programs to prompt faster return of containers and better use of equipment. The Intermodal Assn of America is developing more standards for the industry., Intermodal traffic may have been down last year, but the industry is by no means out. A flat economy and an all-out rate war among trucking companies caused U.S. rail [...]

Industry observers believe that the coordinated management efforts between the land, air and sea transportation industries and the total usage of the newest communication and logistic technologies will make intermodal transportation the major growth area in the 21st century. Intermodal transportation suffered a setback in 1995 after 13 years of steady increases and a dramatic 14.1% growth in 1994. Although most experts believe that the 1995 debacle was due to international economic conditions, they see a need for international participation in logistic information sharing to further the upsurge in intermodal transportation., In the five decades intermodal transportation has struggled to gain widespread recognition as a cost- and service-efficient means of domestic freight distribution, in 1995, it failed, for the first time [...]

Concepts of intermodal freight transportation need to be broadened to include the transload option of multi-modal movement of non-containerized freight. Multimodal transport allows shippers to reduce investment and cost, while at the same time attracting a wider range of customers. By assuming intermodalism to be the only solution and not including multi-modal shipments in transportation policy discussions, policy-makers may unwittingly increase the cost to customers and limit the flexibility of the transport industry.

The theme of the second annual Railway Age Intermodal Roundtable was a basic one: How do you take a good thing and make it better? Intermodal service is the railroad […]

Greater cooperation between airports and transportation planners and improvement in intermodal ground access are essential to solve the US airports' ground access problems, which create delays and congestion. Intermodal approaches to the problem have been impeded due to institutional, regulatory and funding barriers. The Passenger Facility Charge program and the 'general confirmity' rule passed by the US Environmental Protection Agency provide new opportunities for improvement.

Thomas M. Downs, chairman and president of Amtrak, talks about Amtrak's future, its role in intermodalism and the need for capitalizing the railroad. He asserts that Amtrak has a bright future and discussed the new high-speed trains that will set apart Amtrak from the rest. He also discussed the inconvenience of sharing rail tracks with freight and stated that he was seeking legal remedies to improve Amtrak's on-time performance. He said his aim is to capture the transport market, which the new high-speed train sets will accomplish.

INTERMODAL Q&A Critical Issues In The 1990s Doug Stambaugh is a senior pursuing an undergraduate degree in transportation and logistics. Christy Burriesci, a fellow senior, will be graduating in December. [...]

Are multi-unit cars the wave of the future? When it comes to articulated cars and intermodal operations, Santa Fe knows. Trailer Train knows. Santa Fe was a pioneer in articulation […]

Intermodal puts the parts together When a train begins to move, there's a slight delay between the movement of each car and the car behind it. That's called slack action. [...]

FTR is adding seasonality trend analysis to its monthly Intermodal Update publication. This feature will provide a detailed view each month of the how current performance and seasonal patterns compare [...]

A monthly analysis of seasonality trends has been added to FTR's Intermodal Update publication, providing a detailed view each month of the how current performance and seasonal patterns compare to [...]

Growth potentials in intermodal transportation have finally began to surface after years of problems with equipment, pricing and services. Intermodal equipment providers such as XTRA Intermodal Inc. are providing customers with value-added services that use sophisticated tracking and inventory control systems. Railroads are also contributing to the progress of intermodalism as they improve the utilization of their assets under the Equipment Management Program., There's plenty of room for improvement in the intermodal equipment industry. Just ask the lessors themselves. 'If a client is naive, he'd better not handle [business] with us,' said Ian [...]

The share of domestic intermodal revenue movements accounted for by moves of 1,000 or fewer miles has declined in the past year, a recent analysis by FTR Associates shows.*a Domestic [...]

[FIGURE 1 OMITTED] Every model railroader craves just a little more space for his layout, and I'm no different. Since my freelanced HO scale Big Island Rail is set on [...]

Canadian National Railway has run into a firestorm of Chicago suburban opposition to its plan to become a major carrier of intermodal imports and exports. An environmental impact statement being [...]

This map shows a commodity flow, or what everyone treats as a commodity flow: the trailers and containers that move in intermodal lanes in the U.S. and Canada. These boxes […]

Conventional wisdom says rail intermodal is profitable only over distances greater than 500 miles. But long-haul intermodal is a mature market, and some think short-haul may be where opportunities for […]