In normal circumstances clearly rail-sea-
rail transport is the most appropriate modal combination for
bulk cargo. Under the circumstances pervading in China,
however, where rail capacity is mainly allocated to passenger
transport, road transport has to be utilised as a substitute to rail;
this can be effective as long as the transport distance is not too
great. The most important advantage of adopting road
transport in the movement of iron ore is flexibility, which
means that the return journey can be utilised for other
compatible cargoes such as steel products. In this way, the main
disadvantage of road haulage, its high cost, can be partly offset