© 2014 D. Clarke. All Rights Reserved.
Railway Intermodal Transportation
REES 2014 Module D
David B. ClarkeUniversity of Tennessee
© 2014 D. Clarke. All Rights Reserved.
Definition
Intermodal shipment: a coordinated freight shipment that moves between origin and destination using two or more modes of transportationTypes of intermodalism:
unitizedbulk
Growth of unitized intermodal shipments has been a spectacular trend in transportation
© 2014 D. Clarke. All Rights Reserved.
Intermodal OperationsService marketed by railroad, motor carrier, barge line steamship line, or third partyRoles of modes
Motor carriers perform pick-up and deliveryRailroads perform land-side line-haulSteamship lines perform intercontinental movement
Terminal facilities provided by port, barge or steamship line, railroad, customer, or third party
© 2014 D. Clarke. All Rights Reserved.
Types of Service
Railroad intermodal transportation is typically described as either:
Trailer on flatcar (TOFC)Container on flatcar (COFC)
These categories no longer cover all types of service (e.g., RoadRailer)
Current intermodal rail cars don’t necessarily resemble flatcars.
© 2014 D. Clarke. All Rights Reserved.
(Above) TOFC Train, Union Pacific RR, Austin TX
(Right) Double stack COFC, BNSF Railway, Fort Madison, IA
© 2014 D. Clarke. All Rights Reserved.
Rail Intermodal Traffic GrowthRailroads began offering TOFC service in the late 1950s
many small, non-mechanized terminalsservice in general freight trains
Trailer Train Corporation (now TTX) was formed to handle rail equipment poolCOFC service paralleled the rise of marine containersRise of global trade propelled COFC growth during 1980sDomestic use of COFC is increasing
© 2014 D. Clarke. All Rights Reserved.
HISTORIC GROWTH
1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 20150
2000000
4000000
6000000
8000000
10000000
12000000
14000000
16000000
Year
Un
its
The economic recession affected recent intermodal trends, in common with all freight movement.
Annual Intermodal Volumes(Sources: AAR & IANA)
© 2014 D. Clarke. All Rights Reserved.
Recent Traffic Trends
© 2014 D. Clarke. All Rights Reserved.
Intermodal Truck/Rail Comparison
Truck Intermodal Train
Unit of Shipment 1 truckload 1 train (250 truckloads)
Labor (2000 mile trip) 1 person 26 people (1 train)
Frequency of Service Daily / HourlyDaily (if volume warrants)Often less than daily
Annual Volume Required for Daily Service 365 91,250 (250 x 365)
TransitMile/day: 500Average MPH: 50Operates: 10 hrs/day
Mile/day: 500Average MPH: 21Operates: 24 hrs/day
Route InfrastructureUnlimited 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
© 2014 D. Clarke. All Rights Reserved.
Relative Costs
89’ railcar with TOFC 0.55
89’ railcar with COFC 0.53
Double stack railcar 0.41
RoadRailer 0.57
Truck 1.00
DeBoer provided the following cost indices for a 1,000 mile haul:
© 2014 D. Clarke. All Rights Reserved.
Intermodal ContainersAllow unitized movement of goodsDomestic and international versionsConfigurations include box, tank, flatbedStackableDimensions
length20 ft, 40 ft, 45 ft for international use48 ft, 53 ft for domestic use
width: 96″ international, 102″ domestic height: 4 ft, 8 ft, 8.5 ft, 9.5 ft
© 2014 D. Clarke. All Rights Reserved.
© Sea Box, Inc.
© 2014 D. Clarke. All Rights Reserved.
Chassis are normally used for movement of containers over the highway, although flatbed trailers can be used
© Sea Box, Inc.
© 2014 D. Clarke. All Rights Reserved.
Intermodal Trailers
Common lengths are 28 ft, 48 ft, 53 ft; width is 102″ max.80,000 lb GVW with tractorModified construction to withstand railroad service loads
reinforced doorslift rails
All configurations used; dry van and refrigerator most common
© 2014 D. Clarke. All Rights Reserved.
Trailer and Container Use Trends
High volume of import/export trade drives container growthDomestic container traffic is small, but growingTOFC service focused on domestic marketTOFC growth limited by
availability of compatible trailersneed for long-haul (>750 miles); 88% of truck traffic is less than 500 miles
Source: Intermodal Association of North America (IANA)
© 2014 D. Clarke. All Rights Reserved.
© 2014 D. Clarke. All Rights Reserved.
© 2014 D. Clarke. All Rights Reserved.
Mechanized Loading Technology
Gantry cranetransfer onlyrail or rubber tired25–50 ton lift capacityspan 32-76 ft5-8 container lift height
Straddle loadertransfer/storagerubber tired50 ton capacityspan 15-20 feetturning radius 35 ft outside2-5 container lift height
Side loadertransfer/storagerubber tired22–45 ton lift capacityturning radius 20 ft to 52ft requires aisles 30ft min to 75ft ideal2-3 container lift height
Reach loadertransfer/storagerubber tired50 ton lift capacity5-8 container lift height
© 2014 D. Clarke. All Rights Reserved.
Marine Gantry Cranes
© 2014 D. Clarke. All Rights Reserved.
Rubber Tired Straddle Loader
© 2014 D. Clarke. All Rights Reserved.
Side Loader
© 2014 D. Clarke. All Rights Reserved.
Reach Loader
Image from Mi-Jack Products, Inc.
© 2014 D. Clarke. All Rights Reserved.
Lift Spreader Assembly
© 2014 D. Clarke. All Rights Reserved.
The RoadRailer® may be handled over the highway like any conventional semitrailer
Carless Technologies
© 2014 D. Clarke. All Rights Reserved.
Or coupled in trains of up to 150 trailers
Coupler Mate Bogie
© 2014 D. Clarke. All Rights Reserved.
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.
© 2014 D. Clarke. All Rights Reserved.
Major U.S. Intermodal Terminals
© 2014 D. Clarke. All Rights Reserved.
Terminal Activities
© 2014 D. Clarke. All Rights Reserved.
Intermodal Terminal Elements
Provision for loading/unloading railcarsBox storage (long term or temporary)Vehicle storage (railcars/trailers/chassis)Check-in/check-out controlVehicle and box servicing/repairSecurity and lightingOffice and administrationInformation systemsVehicle scales
© 2014 D. Clarke. All Rights Reserved.
Roberts Bank, BC Marine Terminal
8 rail tracks @3,500 ft
Container storage
Marine berths (52 ft depth)
Truck gates(14 lanes)
Access road
Area: 210 acresMarine berths: 3 (3,609 ft)Daily truck trips: 1,800Other trips: 2,100Annual TEU capacity: 900,000Ground storage: 41,250 TEUs10 Post Panamax gantry cranes
Image from GoogleEarth
© 2014 D. Clarke. All Rights Reserved.
Marion, AR Intermodal Terminal
Storage Tracks (8)
Ramp Tracks (4)
Truck Gates8 lanes
Access Road
Annual box capacity: 375,000Ground storage: 2,600 boxesRamp track capacity: 326 carsStorage track capacity: 748 carsLength shown ≈ 2 mi
Parcel width ≈ 960 ft
Image from GoogleEarth
Union Pacific Mainline
© 2014 D. Clarke. All Rights Reserved.
Factors in Terminal LocationAccess to railroad and highway systemAccess to shipping (marine terminals)Site area, configuration, and topographyLand costAvailability of utilities and infrastructureAdjacent land usesProximity to customer baseProximity to other terminalsAbility to accommodate future growthLocal support
© 2014 D. Clarke. All Rights Reserved.
Terminal DesignLow volume (<100,000 annual lifts)
side loader operationrail loading tracks of 500-1000 ft length110 feet separation between tracksseparate parking areas for road vehiclesone way highway traffic circulation
Medium volume (100,000-500,000 annual lifts)rail loading tracks 1,000-3,000 ft stubbed or flow-throughside loader or straddle loader operation
High volume (>500,000 annual lifts)rail unloading tracks 3,000 to 8,000 ft, flow through preferredstraddle loader or gantry operation
In all cases, a linear design is preferable (trains are linear)
© 2014 D. Clarke. All Rights Reserved.
Future Issues for Intermodalism
Improving the railroad systemadding capacity to handle more businessmatching truck service characteristicsincreasing efficiency of intermodal equipment
Funding needed improvementsprivate sectorpublic sectorpublic-private partnerships
Developing a short-haul intermodal systemcurrently, intermodal is competitive for shipments >750 mi88% of truck trips are 500 mi or less
© 2014 D. Clarke. All Rights Reserved.
Intermodal Trains and Railway Infrastructure
Intermodal trains must be service competitive with trucksmaximum speeds of 50-70 mph typical; such speeds
consume track capacityrequire appropriate control systemrequire high train power/weight ratiorequire 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 linesmultiple main track provides better capacity and operational flexibility, at higher costcareful terminal design needed to avoid conflict with mainline operations
Double stack trains need adequate clearances (20’ 3” min)
© 2014 D. Clarke. All Rights Reserved.
Shreveport
Meridian
Norfolk
Roanoke
ChattanoogaKnoxville
Greensboro
Jacksonville
Savannah
CharlestonBirmingham
Macon
New Orleans
Huntsville
Intermodal CorridorsMeridian SpeedwayCrescentHeartlandTerminal locationProposed terminal
© 2014 D. Clarke. All Rights Reserved.
Copyright Restrictions and DisclaimerPresentation AuthorDavid B. Clarke
Research Assoc. Prof. & Director, Center for Transportation Res. 309 Conference Center Bldg.Knoxville, TN 37996-4133 Phone: (865)974-1812 Fax: (865)974-3889 E-mail: [email protected]
It is the author’s 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 and warnings regarding its use as described below.
Copyright Restrictions and Disclaimer:This Powerpoint (ppt) file is the property of the author(s) who retains the copyright, but offers it for use at no cost for noncommercial, educational purposes. Written permission must be obtained from the author to publish or use in any way other than the intended purpose described above.Please be advised that the materials (photos, graphics, etc.) used within this ppt 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. Where possible, this copyright information is listed. Regarding these materials, users may not change or delete any author attribution, copyright notice, trademark, or other legend. Users of this material may not further reproduce it without permission from the copyright owner and it is the sole responsibility of the user to obtain such permissions as necessary. Regarding these materials, you may not, without prior consent from the particular copyright owner, modify, copy, publish, transmit, adapt, or in any way exploit the content. 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.