Intercontinental freight transport impacts: modeling and measuring choice effects (original) (raw)
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2014
Today, there is widespread consensus about the notable, yet simultaneously growing, negative environmental impacts generated by the transportation sector. Experts working in a number of different fields consider the current situation to be unsustainable and possible measures to reduce emissions and foster sustainability are being encouraged. The European Commission has highlighted the need to shift away from unimodal road transport toward a greater use of intermodal transport through, for example, motorways of the sea, in light of the evidence that the former makes a significant contribution to increased CO 2 emissions. However, although there is a general perception that sea transport is environmentally preferable to road transport, recent studies are beginning to question this assumption. Moreover, little research has been conducted to quantify environmental aspects and incorporate them into the decision-making processes involved in the modal shift. This study first reviews the existing literature to examine the extent to which environmental aspects are relevant in the modal choice in the case of short sea shipping and motorways of the sea. Related to this, the study also evaluates the role that different agents may play in making decisions about choice of mode, taking into consideration environmental aspects. Secondly, we use the values the European Commission provides to calculate external costs for the Marco Polo freight transport project proposals (call 2013) to estimate the environmental costs for several routes (a total of 72), comparing the use of road haulage with the intermodal option that incorporates the Spanish motorways of the sea. The results of this comparative analysis show that the intermodal option is not always the best choice in environmental terms. Consequently, the traditional environmental argument to justify this alternative must be used carefully.
Sustainability
Today, there is widespread consensus about the notable, yet simultaneously growing, negative environmental impacts generated by the transportation sector. Experts working in a number of different fields consider the current situation to be unsustainable and possible measures to reduce emissions and foster sustainability are being encouraged. The European Commission has highlighted the need to shift away from unimodal road transport toward a greater use of intermodal transport through, for example, motorways of the sea, in light of the evidence that the former makes a significant contribution to increased CO2 emissions. However, although there is a general perception that sea transport is environmentally preferable to road transport, recent studies are beginning to question this assumption. Moreover, little research has been conducted to quantify environmental aspects and incorporate them into the decision-making processes involved in the modal shift. This study first reviews the existing literature to examine the extent to which environmental aspects are relevant in the modal choice in the case of short sea shipping and motorways of the sea. Related to this, the study also evaluates the role that different agents may play in making decisions about choice of mode, taking into consideration environmental aspects. Secondly, we use the values the European Commission provides to calculate external costs for the Marco Polo freight transport project proposals (call 2013) to estimate the environmental costs for several routes (a total of 72), comparing the use of road haulage with the intermodal option that incorporates the Spanish motorways of the sea. The results of this comparative analysis show that the intermodal option is not always the best choice in environmental terms. Consequently, the traditional environmental argument to justify this alternative must be used carefully.
2003
Intermodal transport, the combination and integration of several modes, with the use of loading units, has been said to be more environmentally friendly than unimodal road transport for the carriage of goods. The political and scientific interest in this transport market is largely due to this sustainablity and ecological aspect of the intermodal transportation system. In this paper an overview is given of studies and papers that are tackling the issue of the external effects of both intermodal and unimodal transport. An overview is given of the types of external costs that were taken into account (emissions, security, noise,...) and the methodologies that were used to estimate the external effects and to value these effects in terms of costs. The results of the different studies are compared to each other and common conclusions are drawn.
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Transportation planners often need to justify transportation related investments to public officials. Besides efficiency measures, the environment protection and sustainability are gaining more and more importance. In order to improve freight flow efficiency in a sustainable way, it is necessary to have a systematic tool to study the freight flow over all three major surface modes and their connections and, in turn, to help public officials identify the best way to improve freight transportation. We built a system-level intermodal simulation model that includes highways, railways, and waterways because all three modes, working together, play significant roles in freight flows. We evaluated the performance of the Louisiana freight network under different scenarios and measured the benefits of mode changes evaluating the tradeoff between environmental goals and other performance measures.
SUSTAINABLE FREIGHT TRANSPORT (REVIEW OF MARIME TRANSPORT 2012)
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Sustainable Development of Freight Transport Using a Faster and More Eco-Friendly Mode
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Especially in developing countries such as Saudi Arabia, when considering an increase in rail lines it is vital to examine the freight sector's sustainable development. The aim is to transfer freight from slow modes of transport (trucks) to the faster and more eco-friendly mode of rail. This paper predicts two economic impacts from the transfer: less wear on the pavement structure of the highways, and changes in terms of time, cost, infrastructure capacity, and so on, compared to shipment by heavy trucks. Using rail can prevent damage to roads and the costs relating to heavy trucks, as well as accidents and air pollution. Various parameters are considered, such as loading and the longitudinal tire forces of trucks, the materials used in the construction of roads (e.g. asphalt) and their thickness. In this case, a 950-km length of the Riyadh-Jeddah line is used as a case study, determining the cost and time taken both before and after introducing a freight rail system. This method can be applied to the military sector to move heavy haulage and to transport minerals all over Saudi Arabia. In this case, the just-in-time (JIT) or door to door (DTD) method of delivery services is adopted, as trucks still have to drive the first and/ or last few kilometers of each railway journey. It is based on a comparative model to calculate and compare total shipping costs and transport time for road and rail transport. As a result, the total cost of transporting military vehicles/freight by rail transport