Evaluation of Impacts of Intermodal Terminals on the Highway System

Abstract

Rail–truck intermodal terminals can play a key role in making rail–truck intermodal transportation an effective transportation alternative to long-haul trucking. To measure this effectiveness, public and private stakeholders require some qualitative and quantitative methodologies. This paper is based on a study describing a general methodological framework for evaluation of the impacts of intermodal terminals on the transportation system and applying it to the highway system of Virginia. Apart from incorporating the needs of several agencies into the framework, preliminary models for site-specific evaluation of impacts on mobility, accessibility, safety, and economic activities were also developed, and were calibrated with commodity flow, socioeconomic, and other data for the Commonwealth of Virginia. Results of the application of the evaluation framework on a case study terminal are presented in this paper. The study identified the key steps involved in the assessment of highway system impacts and regional planning of intermodal terminals in Virginia. It is recommended that further research be carried out on a detailed evaluation to provide decision support on the feasibility of public–private shared financing of intermodal terminals.

Development of a Cost Estimation Framework for Potential Transload Facilities

“…Comparing the projected number of annual trucks, it is evident that there is a significant range from the 8,514 projected for the Jefferson County area to the 515,566 in Pulaski County. Although a direct comparison to existing transload sites is difficult due to a lack of information in the literature regarding the projected tonnage of commodities expected, the storage area and the facility costs are of the same magnitude as those seen in literature ( 4 , 10 , 17 ).…”

“…This location provides access to rail, water, and the highway. This particular site is limited to 6.5 acres, a smaller acreage than comparable facilities; however, due to convenient access to water and rail it is a desirable location ( 2 , 10 ).…”

“…Thompson lists the total facility area of approximately 12.5 acres but does not discuss costs of individual infrastructure elements ( 4 ). Similarly, Bhamidipati and Demetsky present a case study in Virginia for a freight facility of approximately 40 acres, but there is no discussion of facility cost ( 10 ). The Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute conducted a study evaluating the feasibility of a “logistics center,” or intermodal facility, including the development of an economic engineering model to simulate costs for an intermodal facility ( 11 ).…”

Using Data from a State Travel Demand Model to Develop a Multi-Criteria Framework for Transload Facility Location Planning

“…However, several benefits can be realized by shippers and consumers by shifting freight to more efficient modes, such as rail or water, or adopting a multimodal scheme. Use of rail and barge is associated with lower transportation and infrastructure maintenance costs, release of highway capacity, increased safety, and lower emissions ( 4–6 ). Given the reasons why road trucking remains the predominant mode, this paper focuses on provision of accessibility to other modes as a means to promote modal shift.…”