APTA and AREMA Module 1-D Railway Intermodal Transportation APTA and AREMA What is Intermodal? Passenger A journey that involves two or more transportation modes between origin and destination People self-transfer between modes at a connection point Freight A shipment that uses two or more transportation modes between origin and destination Bulk: single cargo transloaded from one mode to another Unitized: Package transferred from one mode to another Must physically move cargo between modes at a terminal Unitized (container or trailer) intermodal drives growth 2 APTA and AREMA Rail Passenger Intermodalism Rail serves some portion(s) of trip Intercity (passenger rail) Suburban (commuter rail, rail rapid transit) Urban (rail rapid transit, light rail transit, streetcar) Most rail travel is intermodal when door-door trip is considered Intermodal connections are an important factor for traveler using rail modes Rail must connect at station/stop locations 3 APTA and AREMA Potential Connecting Modes Pedestrian Personal bicycle Bikeshare service Personal motor vehicle Traveler driven Chauffeured Taxicab Rental car Transit bus Airliner Ferry Intercity rail * Light rail/streetcar * Rail rapid transit * People mover Chairlift Personal rapid transit 4 * Involved in rail-rail connection APTA and AREMA Traveler Choice of Passenger Rail Traveler generally has multiple options for trip Desirability of rail use in trip depends upon: Nature of trip Traveler characteristics Travel time for rail portion(s) of trip Cost for rail portion(s) of trip Existence of connections between rail and other modes Time required to make connection Physical ease of transfer to/from rail Seamlessness of transfer to/from rail Facilitating intermodal connections helps build rail market share 5 APTA and AREMA Aspects of Connectivity Physical Can we transfer from one mode to the other? Temporal Is the timing of the transfer process convenient? Cognitive Can we easily figure out how to make the transfer? Transactional Can we seamlessly conduct the transfer transaction? Comfort, Safety, and Security Do we perceive the transfer as comfortable and safe? Reliability Can we effect the transfer dependably? 6 APTA and AREMA Direct Physical 7 Rail serves common station or point with other modes. Transfer requires a short walk. Rail mode may also accommodate personal vehicle (e.g., bicycle, ATV, snowmobile, auto) with passenger APTA and AREMA Indirect Physical 8 AirTrain links facilities at Newark Liberty International Airport with the nearby Northeast Corridor rail line. Passengers can easily transfer between airlines and rail services offered by Amtrak and New Jersey Transit. AirTrain also connects with airport parking, hotel shuttles, and car rental services. AirTrain operates 24/7/365 and has 3-minute headways during peak hours. Fare ($5.50) is included in the rail ticket price. APTA and AREMA Temporal Services connected should have sufficient temporal separation to permit transfer Temporal separation should not unduly lengthen trip time Travelers desired trip start and end times, trip purpose are a factor Travelers benefit from ease in obtaining schedule information for each participating mode 9 APTA and AREMA Cognitive Can the traveler easily understand how to make the transfer? During pre-trip planning When making the transfer Maps and signing in stations are important aids to the unfamiliar traveler Most important in large facilities Facility performance can degrade when connecting passengers are poorly informed or confused 10 APTA and AREMA Other Aspects Transactional Traveler should be able to easily purchase intermodal trip Seamless trip purchase/reservation would be ideal (virtual travel agent) Single ticketing also a good goal Comfort, safety and security Must provide traveler with reassurance of these items Rail sometimes has a negative connotation in one or more areas Reliability Traveler will avoid rail service perceived to be unreliable Real-time data helps traveler deal with disruptions Transaction system should help rebook if trains cancelled or late 11 APTA and AREMA Intermodal Freight Operations Railroad intermodal transportation is typically described as either: Trailer on flatcar (TOFC) Container on flatcar (COFC) Intermodal is a seamless service marketed by railroad, motor carrier, steamship line, or third party Roles of modes Motor carriers perform pick-up and delivery Railroads perform land-side line-haul Steamship lines perform intercontinental movement Barge may also play a role in domestic service Terminal facilities provided by port, steamship line, railroad, customer, or third party 12 APTA and AREMA Intermodal Activities 13 APTA and AREMA Intermodal Truck/Rail Comparison TruckIntermodal Train Unit of Shipment1 truckload1 train (250 truckloads) Labor (2000 mile trip)1 person26 people (1 train) Frequency of ServiceDaily / Hourly Daily (if volume warrants) Often less than daily Annual Volume Required for Daily Service 36591,250 Transit Mile/day: 500 Average MPH: 50 Operates: 10 hrs/day Mile/day: 500 Average MPH: 21 Operates: 24 hrs/day Route Infrastructure Unlimited use of Federal and State road system Use of privately owned rail network with limited use of alternate networks Route Options Virtually unlimited: many route options between origin and destination Normally just one viable route between origin and destination Source: BNSF Railway 14 APTA and AREMA Rail Intermodal Freight Traffic Milestones Railroads begin offering TOFC service in the early 1950s many small, non-mechanized terminals service in general freight trains 1955-Railroads create Trailer Train Corporation (now TTX) to manage intermodal railcar pool : ISO standards for containers published 1976: Railroad Revitalization and Regulatory Reform Act sets path for deregulation of rail container traffic 1977: first double stack rail car introduced 1980: Staggers Rail Act further deregulates rail container traffic 1980s: Global trade propels container traffic growth 2000s: Trucking companies popularize domestic use of COFC 15 APTA and AREMA Growth of Rail Intermodalism The economic recession affected recent intermodal trends, in common with all freight movement. Annual Intermodal Volumes (Sources: AAR & IANA) 16 APTA and AREMA US Rail Intermodal Flows in Tons-2011 Rail lines serve as a land bridge for Pacific rim goods destined for the east coast and Europe Source, U.S. FHWA 17 APTA and AREMA Intermodal Containers Allow unitized movement of goods Domestic and international versions Configurations include box, tank, flatbed Stackable Dimensions length 20 ft, 40 ft, 45 ft for international use 48 ft, 53 ft for domestic use width: 96 international, 102 domestic height: 4 ft, 8 ft, 8.5 ft, 9.5 ft 18 APTA and AREMA Sea Box, Inc. Graphics Sea Box, Inc. 19 APTA and AREMA Intermodal Trailers Common lengths are 28 ft, 48 ft, 53 ft; width is 102 max. 80,000 lb GVW with tractor Modified construction to withstand railroad service loads reinforced doors lift rails All configurations used; dry van and refrigerator most common 20 APTA and AREMA Railcars Flatcar Traditional car with deck May be outfitted for TOFC or single stack COFC 89 length permits two marine containers Some are semi-permanently connected Spine car Lightweight design without full deck May be outfitted for TOFC or single stack COFC Often combined into permanently connected units (3, 5, or 10) Each unit handles a single trailer or container Well car Lightweight design without deck Designed to provide clearance with double stacked containers Some can handle trailers in well Often combined into permanently connected units (3 or 5) 21 APTA and AREMA Maxi-Stack IV Double-Stack Car Articulated 3-platform design optimizes balance between tare weight and cargo weight Container sizes Well: 20 to 53 ft containers Upper: 40 to 57 ft containers Platform load limit: 116,800 pounds 22 APTA and AREMA Loading Equipment 23 Gantry crane (upper left) transfer only 2550 ton lift capacity span ft 5-8 container lift height 2) Straddle loader (upper right) transfer/storage 50 ton capacity span feet 2-5 container lift height 3) Side loader (lower right) transfer/storage 2245 ton lift capacity 2-3 container lift height APTA and AREMA The RoadRailer may be handled over the highway like any conventional semitrailer Carless Technologies 24 APTA and AREMA Or coupled in trains of up to 150 trailers Coupler MateBogie 25 APTA and AREMA Source: Wabash National Corporation 1.Hostler trailer positions trailer. 2.Trailer air suspension lifts rear of trailer, tractor backs trailer onto rail bogie. 3.Trailer air suspension is vented. Steel coil springs lift tires clear of rail. 4.Tractor backs trailer to coupling with balance of train. 5.Tractor leaves leading trailer on landing gear. Air lines are connected and landing gear is raised on second trailer. 6.Rail locomotive backs CouplerMate to trailer. Air lines are connected and landing gear is raised on all trailers. 26 APTA and AREMA Freight Intermodal Terminal Elements Provision for loading/unloading railcars Box storage (long term or temporary) Vehicle storage (railcars/trailers/chassis) Check-in/check-out control Vehicle and box servicing/repair Security and lighting Office and administration Information systems Vehicle scales 27 APTA and AREMA Major U.S. Intermodal Terminals 28 APTA and AREMA Terminal Categories Low volume (500,000 annual lifts) rail unloading tracks 3,000 to 8,000 ft, flow through preferred straddle loader or gantry operation In all cases, a linear design is preferable 29 APTA and AREMA CompanyLocationStateCost (M)Opened Annual capacity, lifts Size (acres)ParkingRemarks UPRochelleIL $ N/A CSXChambersburgPAN/A200785N/A Not presently reachable by doublestacks UPJolietIL $ On 3900 acre dist. park site; 1.2M lifts/yr at buildout CSXNorth BaltimoreOH $ RMG cranes; 2000 acres available for dist. Park; 2M containers/yr handled at buildout NSMcCallaAL $ N/A Birmingham area NSRossvilleTN $ N/A $52.5M federal share; Memphis area NSGreencastlePA $ N/A $45M Pennsylvania share BNSFEdgertonKS $ acres available in Logistics Park; 5 gantry cranes; 4300 stacking spots; $35 million from state of Kansas; 1.5M lifts/yr at buildout NSCharlotteNC $ N/A $15.7M federal share UPSanta TeresaNM $ N/A Cost includes crew and refueling facilities; Total acres 2200 CSXWinter HavenFL $ N/A ft arrv/dpt tracks; 3 RMG cranes; 932 acres avail for dist. Park Selected Recent Terminal Projects 30 APTA and AREMA Roberts Bank, BC Marine Terminal 8 rail ft Container storage Marine berths (52 ft depth) Truck gates (14 lanes) Access road Area: 210 acres Marine berths: 3 (3,609 ft) Daily truck trips: 1,800 Other trips: 2,100 Annual TEU capacity: 900,000 Ground storage: 41,250 TEUs 10 Post Panamax gantry cranes Image from GoogleEarth 31 APTA and AREMA Marion, AR Intermodal Terminal Storage Tracks (8) Ramp Tracks (4) Truck Gates 8 lanes Access Road Annual box capacity: 375,000 Ground storage: 2,600 boxes Ramp track capacity: 326 cars Storage track capacity: 748 cars Length shown 2 mi Parcel width 960 ft Image from GoogleEarth Union Pacific Mainline 32 APTA and AREMA Future Issues for Intermodal Freight Improving the railroad system adding capacity to handle more business matching truck service characteristics increasing efficiency of intermodal equipment Funding needed improvements private sector public sector public-private partnerships Developing a short-haul intermodal system currently, intermodal is competitive for shipments >750 mi 88% of truck trips are 500 mi or less rail has a small overall market share 33 APTA and AREMA Intermodal Trains and Railway Infrastructure Intermodal trains must be service competitive with trucks maximum speeds of mph typical; such speeds consume track capacity require appropriate control system require high train power/weight ratio require higher track and alignment standards schedule requirements provide operating challenge Train lengths to 7,500 ft routine; may reach 10,000 ft if conditions permit adequate passing siding length needed on single track lines multiple main track provides better capacity and operational flexibility, at higher cost careful terminal design needed to avoid conflict with mainline operations Double stack trains need adequate clearances (20 3 min) 34 APTA and AREMA Shreveport Meridian Norfolk Roanoke Chattanooga Knoxville Greensboro Jacksonville Savannah Charleston Birmingham Macon New Orleans Huntsville Intermodal Corridors Meridian Speedway Crescent Heartland Terminal location Proposed terminal 35 APTA and AREMA It is the authors intention that the information contained in this file be used for non-commercial, educational purposes with as few restrictions as possible. However, there are some necessary constraints on its use as described below. The materials used in this file have come from a variety of sources and have been assembled here for personal use by the author for educational purposes. The copyright for some of the images and graphics used in this presentation may be held by others. Users may not change or delete any author attribution, copyright notice, trademark or other legend. Users of this material may not further reproduce this material without permission from the copyright owner. It is the responsibility of the user to obtain such permissions as necessary. You may not, without prior consent from the copyright owner, modify, copy, publish, display, transmit, adapt or in any way exploit the content of this file. Additional restrictions may apply to specific images or graphics as indicated herein. The contents of this file are provided on an "as is" basis and without warranties of any kind, either express or implied. The author makes no warranties or representations, including any warranties of title, noninfringement of copyright or other rights, nor does the author make any warranties or representation regarding the correctness, accuracy or reliability of the content or other material in the file. Copyright Restrictions and Disclaimer Presentation Author 36 David B. Clarke Director University of Tennessee, Knoxville 600 Henley Street, Suite 309 Knoxville, TN Center for Transportation Research