Comparison between Rail, Road and Ship Transport - Essay Example

Comparison between Rail, Road and Ship Transport

Transport is the major means of movement of goods, as well as people from one place to the other. It is of crucial significance to note that the issue of ease of transport always determines a number of things in the society, as well as affects the economy of the country in several ways. This paper is going to compare three different modes of transport o the basis of their costs incurred, efficiency, costs of capital needed as well as cash considerations. This is going to be very important in providing insight knowledge concerning the efficiency of any particular mode of transport, thus influencing informed decisions to make concerning the nature or mode of transport to embark on following one’s intentions and demands.

Transportation of goods from one place to the other significantly impacts on the issue of trade. As such, people can always exchange their goods, purchase as well as sell their items to the other individuals where necessary. On the same note, the movement of goods and people from one place to the other is important in availing several services as well as products to places where they were initially unavailable (Royston, 1998; Verhoef, 2008). The trading opportunities availed by such transportation is important in influencing the economy in certain measures. Other than the above, it is of crucial significance to note that there are a number of modes of transport. Relevant to the above, it is of crucial significance to note that transport may be effected through road as one of the means (Pyrgidis, 2016).

Other than road transport, railway transport may also be used to transport goods, as well as people from one place to the other. These modes of transport are always very efficient in carrying large quantities of goods. Other than the two, water transport through ships may also be employed amongst the maritime transportation modes. This is also important in ferrying goods from one point to the other. The other mostly used mode of transport is the air transport (Pyrgidis, 2016). However, it is of crucial significance to note that the above modes of transport differ considerably relevant to a number of things. Some of these factors that are responsible for the differences in the above modes of transport may comprise of the costs incurred, capital needed, quantities of goods that may be ferried from one place to the other at one particular time, as well as cash considerations (Pyrgidis, 2016; Lowe, 2005; Dell et al, 2014).

It is of crucial significance to note that road transport was initially developed in order to support the non-motorized modes of transport. These non-motorized forms or modes of transport comprise of walking, domestication of animals as well as cycling. Relevant to the above, it is of crucial significance to note that road transport has always gained prominence since its inception. The flexibility which is associated with road transport is always one of the reasons why a number of people like it. The additional operational flexibility associated with the road transport is informed by the use of motor vehicles (Pyrgidis, 2016; Lowe, 2005; Dell et al, 2014).. The vehicles can always serve several purposes as opposed to ships as well as trains, focusing on ship transport and railway transport respectively.

However, it is of crucial significance to note that the road transport is always associated with high costs compared to the railway transport as well as ship transport. For instance, raid transport always needs heavy capital for the investors to purchase the vehicles to use on the roads. Some of these vehicles are very expensive, thus requires a lot of money to purchase (Pyrgidis, 2016; Lowe, 2005; Dell et al, 2014). Other than the above, it is of crucial significance to underscore the fact that the maintenance costs of such vehicles are always very high as opposed to the maintenance costs of both the trains as well as the ships. For instance, at one particular time, only a limited number of trains can use the railway line (Pyrgidis, 2016). This means that only a significant number of trains can always be maintained at a particular time relevant to the costs of such maintenance. The same applies to the costs of maintaining the ships.

However, with regards to road transport, it is of crucial significance to note that at one particular time, several vehicles always use the road. As such, the cost of maintenance of such vehicles is always very high compared to the costs of maintaining the trains as well as the ships. This may also be viewed in terms of projected cumulative effects (Pyrgidis, 2016; Lowe, 2005; Dell et al, 2014). For instance, when the total number of vehicles that are maintained or repaired per day, as well as the number of vehicles that break down and require maintenance on daily basis, weekly basis or monthly basis is always very high (Pyrgidis, 2016). When the total numbers of vehicles serviced per day are summed up, it is important to note that the costs o such services are always very high.

In spite of the above, it is also very important to note that due to continued use of the roads, roads always wear at an alarming rate. Thus, it is of crucial significance to note that the amount of money used to maintain such roads is always very high. The amount of funds required to repair roads, modify as well as expand roads is always very high compared to that needed to do the same on both railway as well as ship transport (Pyrgidis, 2016). Other than the above, it is of crucial significance to note that the costs of maintaining ship movements as a mode of transport is always the cheapest. This follows that ship movements always take place on water. As such, there is always no need to modify their transport medium. This is because, water always do not face wear and tear incidences like the road and railway.

On the same note, it is of crucial significance to underscore the fact that the rate at which railway undergoes tear is not commensurate to the rate at which roads transport undergoes tear thus requiring continued maintenance. As such, the costs of maintaining railroad is significantly lower than the costs incurred in maintaining road transport since most people often use road transport heavily compared to the other modes of transport. Since ship transport always takes place in water, and there always no costs associated with modification of waterways, expansion of waterways as well as servicing waterways, it is of crucial significance to note that ship transport is always the cheapest mode of transport compared to both road transport as well as railway transport (Pyrgidis, 2016; Lowe, 2005; Dell et al, 2014).

However, it is quite prudent to note that water transport may always be very efficient in transporting heavy and large quantity of goods through ships. But the quantity of goods shipped at one particular time is not commensurate with the quantity of goods transported using railway transport. The capital needed to purchase a ship is always very high compared to the total amount of money needed to purchase one vehicle or one train. Thus, it means that the costs of ship transport is always very high compared to rail as well as road in terms of the capital need to invest in the transport vessels used (Pyrgidis, 2016; Lowe, 2005; Dell et al, 2014).

In terms of fuel efficiency, it is important to note that rail transport is more fuel efficient compared to road transport. In addition, in the United States, it is estimated that the rail freight is approximately 63% more efficient compared to road transport (Pyrgidis, 2016). The technologies used by railways are always associated with less friction compared to roads. This contributes to further lowering the costs of maintenance of railway lines as opposed to roads ( Royston, 1998; Verhoef, 2008). However, in respect to the above, it is important to note that ship transport is the cheapest since it incurs no costs of water maintenance being that water is the main medium of transport in ship movements.

Despite the above, it is of critical importance to note that the railway transport as well as inland water transportation through the use of ships may always enjoy economies of scale as compared to road and railway transport. For instance, at one particular freight trip, both train as well as ships may always move tons of freight as well as passengers. This makes the two modes of transport to be more cost efficient compared to road transport in terms of economies of scale (Pyrgidis, 2016).

It is of critical significance to underscore the fact that railways are always very ideal to transport huge volumes or quantities o bulk commodities compared to both road as well as ship transport. Relevant to the above, it is of crucial significance to note that the rail transport costs for bulk materials is always very low compared to the costs of such bulk materials charged on both road and ship transport. In addition o the above, it is also important to note that the charge on passenger transport relevant to railway as a mode of transport is always considerably lower compared to the charges on both road as well as ship transport. This makes rail transport be considerably cheaper than both road and ship transport.