Environmental Impact of Intermodal Transportation - Essay Example

Environmental Impact of Intermodal Transport Introduction Intermodalization is the method through which passengers and/or freight is transported from one mode to another. It has major emphasis in the U.S towards freight movement through shipping and containerization of goods to be transported. Having a method of shifting many modes of transporting such as shipping, sending goods through trains, and by separate container trucks, it is a safe and secure way towards moving high amounts of business all around the world (Vuchic, 1999). Different countries all over the world are planning for increased intermodal transportation by encouraging on building separate road tracks which reduce cost in the long run. Intermodal transportation is a very important method that is helping in growing business as due to high transmission of goods that can reached at the door step, people avail these services. Intermodal transport is logistically set in a way that the goods have to reach to a particular destination for further transport rather than the checking of each good. Thus the concept of containerization is practiced, where the cargo means is just transferred from one mode to another without handling it (Winebrake et al, 2008). Having Intermodal system in place is not just a requirement towards efficient workflow but it is directly linked with the idea of how the system overall works. With technology transfer of transportation mode, the effect is seen directly on time management, quality service and risk related to goods. These high end problems and challenges are faced in intermodal transportation every day. Ensuring the quality service of these issues is directly relative to the success of the system. The nature of intermodal transport is based on factors that are contributing in high saving economies. Steps that ensure certain benefits towards optimally utilizing the resources is the basic mainframe behind all the means that are employed. For example trains might be used for long distant domestic transportation while a fleet of trucks transport the same goods to the markets (Rondinelli & Berry, 2000)‎. The system constitutes of some basic systematic approach which involves the following factors: 1: Nature of transported cargo is important towards quantity that is being transferred alongside with the total weight. Finished goods are the primary source towards this type of transportation. 2: Modes applied for transportation under the sequence of intermodal chain determines the sorted out procedures of shifting through transporting carriers such as railway, trucks, maritime etc. 3: Destination points to and from the origin contribute to organize which method is used for intermodal transportation. If the distances are usually longer than a day of trucking, intermodal transportation is required for efficient transport. 4: Total cost of transporting is added within the time variable to have each mode applied to the right amount towards having lower overall costs. 5: Value of cargo helps towards creating the suitable mode of transportation with the cost factor. High value of goods requires special moving hence higher costs. 6: Frequency enables the success of the overall intermodal system, the continuity of a certain amount of containers helps in stable costs and modes to be employed. Challenges of Intermodal Transportation With tons of freight being transported, it is necessary to keep a right check over the transported good. Intermodal transportation challenges vary from supply chain to environmental issues. With increasing regulations being carried out towards the national development of transportation issues, the environmental impact of all transportation has changed increasingly in the past four decades. The environmental impact of intermodal transportation varies from the emissions as well as the construction for the intermodal transportation. With countries increasing interest for transporting the imported/exported goods, the construction has increased for highways. These have at times deadly negative impacts over the environment. Manmade structures where are helping the future have harmed the landscape through emitting enormous nitrogen oxide emissions (Arnold, Peeters & Thomas, 2004). The air pollution is then mostly due to transport, these constitute of carbon monoxide and particulate matter. Although there are standardization of t combustible engines, but they are majorly constrained within only certain developed countries and in recent industrialization the green house effect is on the rise due to transporting gases in the air. Intermodal Transport Success in Environment The intermodal system which died in 1960’s grew rapidly to meet higher needs to be met in the global economy. This transportation with the advent of better transporting technology had a revival in the 1990’s with international trade on the rise. Considering the example of trains, they are more environmental friendly as they consume less of fuel and give more mileage as compared to trucks. This can be also seen as they have less carbon dioxide and monoxide reductions. Having the weights reaching high amounts, the methods that are just limited to road travelling and transporting goods are creating large amounts of carbon dioxide emissions, whereas intermodal methods have half the effect by applying a combination of all types of modes for transport. The intermodal transport is most successful when majority of the transfers are based on transferring containers within the train system. The minimization of truck and maritime adds towards the controlled negative impacts through the intermodal transportation. Having an example of the U.S, the efficiency of intermodal method of transporting through trains has increasing over 86% since 1980. Back in 1980’s a gallon of fuel use to move on ton of weight to an average of 235, this had higher emissions towards having a larger and equal impact to as trucks on the road. With better model of trains introduced, the same one gallon in 2007 could do 436 miles and reducing the emissions to half. Each ton-mile of freight that is used through the intermodal methods implying train system helps in reduction of green house effect by two thirds. Intermodal emits just about 5.4 pounds of CO2 per 100 ton-miles of travelling. Intermodal transportation is towards applying the right amount of transportation method by not only reducing environmental effects but also towards safety of the transported goods. It is also to understand that intermodal as defined by ECMT (European Conference of Ministers of Transport) takes in the account of at least two different transportation modes applied on the same loading unit without changing the overall process. Hence the environmental impact is to be calculated of the percentage of use of two or more methods used. When used collectively they have negative environmental emissions towards corroding the environment in all areas. The table shows the different pollutants by different modes of transport in grams/tone-km. Integration of Environmental models of intermodal transport Numerous models have been recommended for incorporation of preparation and transportation; on the other hand, they point chiefly either at proposing the most limited way between the beginning and the last terminals or at decreasing the transportation expenses while guaranteeing adequate conveyance time. Some of them propose an assessment model for minimizing the expense steering for every shipment as for aggregate transportation and stock expenses. Different planners present an evolutionary calculation for deciding the ideal blend of transport choices to minimize all out logistics costs. In a few papers, they create a model for ascertaining similar consolidated interior and outside expenses of intermodal and way cargo systems. Regardless others create models of street and rail transport bases on the counterfeit consciousness and multi-operator, to pick the most prudent way for request arranging. Concerning to effect reduction, the presentation of new innovations and transport ideas, for example, alternative fuel, eco-driving, early morning-dispersion framework, vehicle use and evasion of unfilled outings, natural Management Systems (ISO 14000, ISO 14001) may offer diminished emanations for every vehicle. An alternate method for lessening natural effects is to convince travelers to minimize the amount of vehicle excursions by exchanging to non-mechanized modes. Conclusion In conclusion the system of intermodal transportation is the way forward towards saving not just money but the nature itself. With environmental regulations now being practiced in majority of the work, the successful business encourage on using intermodal methods for their survival in the open market. Alternate sorts of natural damage brought about by transportation are more troublesome to massess, for instance contrasting the effects of sea cargo and those of different modes of transportation. In spite of the fact that the most genuine damage from transportation influences marine life as opposed to people, harm to awhile ago in place sea biological communities is still a genuine natural issue. The investment atmosphere and the natural mindfulness are constraining organizations to reexamine the association of their store network, with the point of intermodal transportation modes ecologically neighborly and protect better coordination of streams to diminish ecological effects. The choice settling on for the decision of an intermodal way inside the green inventory network is an extremely perplexing issue obliging the attention of a few criteria. Methods, for example, AHP and ELECTRE systems, help the leaders in the decision of a proper way to transport their merchandise. Logistical leaders need to coordinate the natural concerns since the arranging of their operations and especially in the decision of the transportation mode utilized for shipments. The results given by these systems are just about comparable with a few contrasts in the results request. An affectability dissection could be performed to measure the impact of every parameter on the dependability of the model. References "Environmental Impact." Intermodal Shipping. NFI, 2014. Web. 17 Apr. 2014. < http://www.nfiindustries.com/services/nfi-intermodal/environmental-impact> Arnold, P., Peeters, D., & Thomas, I. (2004). Modelling a rail/road intermodal transportation system. Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, 40(3), 255-270. Rondinelli, D., & Berry, M. (2000). Multimodal transportation, logistics, and the environment: managing interactions in a global economy. European Management Journal, 18(4), 398-410. THE ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS OF FREIGHT. Paris: ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT, 1997. PDF. < http://www.oecd.org/trade/envtrade/2386636.pdf> Vuchic, V. R. (1999). Transportation for livable cities. Center for Urban Policy Research, New Jersey Winebrake, J. J., Corbett, J. J., Falzarano, A., Hawker, J. S., Korfmacher, K., Ketha, S., & Zilora, S. (2008). Assessing energy, environmental, and economic tradeoffs in intermodal freight transportation. Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association, 58(8), 1004-1013. Read More