Case 2: Intermodal transport
Few studies have been conducted on how intermodal transport of grain could be introduced into the agricultural sector. The use of intermodal agricultural transport could help to reduce the intensity of road traffic,especially during harvesting season. In this way, transport operators could more effectively focus on parallel activities, while at the same time achieving environmental improvements.
In the following section, the concept of intermodal transportation will be presented. This is followed by a general study of the grain industry and related transports. Finally, the environmental and economical influence of [grain] transportation will be outlined.
Intermodal transport has gained interest and grown rapidly since the early
1970s. Growth in intermodal movements can be attributed to several
circumstances including industry de-regulation, global business expansion
and the application of new techniques to improve intermodal processes
(Bloomberg & LeMay et al. 2002). Intermodal transport is a field attracting
interest from many actors of widely different character, e.g. transport
operators, politicians, engineers and researchers, and many concepts and
definitions are in use depending on the context and objectives. Thus, it may
be worthwhile to consider some of the definitions in use.
The notion of multimodal transport is generally used for the carriage of
goods by at least two modes. A multimodal transport involves several
modes of transport to move a consignment from the supplier to the
customer. The goods are cross-docked from one mode to the other by using
unitised cargo or a direct shipment to minimise handling costs. Increased
efficiency is attained by the usage of unitised cargo such as containers
(Lumsden 1998). Multimodal transport is by definition not equivalent to
intermodal transport. It is the overarching definition umbrella of which
intermodal transportation is one refined sub-definition and way of
conducting multimodal transportation, however in an integrated manner.
The notion of intermodal transport as used in the common terminology
within the European Union (EU), UN Economic Commission for Europe
(UN/ECE), and the European Conference of Ministers of Transport (ECMT)
concerns the movement of goods in one and the same loading unit (e.g. a
container) or vehicle, which uses successively several modes of transport
without handling the goods while changing modes (European Commission
1997 and 2002). Unlike multimodal transport, which is characterised by
essentially separate movements involving different modes, intermodal