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Urban Freight Lab

Research Topic: Multimodal: Port and Intermodal

Intermodal and multimodal transportation are both strategies for moving cargo from its point of origin to its destination, or between segments, using multiple methods of transport, such as truck, rail, barge ship, or any combination of modes. Multimodal transport is performed with at least two different modes of transport but under a single contract. Intermodal is performed by multiple modes, where each mode has different carriers responsible, each with its own contract.

Paper

Rails-Next-to-Trails: A Methodology for Selecting Appropriate Safety Treatments at Complex Multimodal Intersections

 
Download Slides PDF  (0.88 MB)
URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0361198118792763
Publication: Transportation Research Record
Volume: 2672 (10)
Pages: 27-Dec
Publication Date: 2018
Summary:
There are more than 212,000 at-grade railroad crossings in the United States. Several feature paths running adjacent to the railroad tracks, and crossing a highway; they serve urban areas, recreational activities, light rail station access, and a variety of other purposes. Some of these crossings see a disproportionate number of violations and conflicts between rail, vehicles, and pedestrians and bikes. This research focuses on developing a methodology for appropriately addressing the question of treatments in these complex, multimodal intersections. The methodology is designed to be able to balance a predetermined, prescriptive approach with the professional judgment of the agency carrying out the investigation. Using knowledge and data from the literature, field studies, and video observations, a framework for selecting treatments based on primary issues at a given location is developed. Using such a framework allows the agency to streamline their crossing improvement efforts; to easily communicate and inform the public of the decisions made and their reasons for doing so; to secure stakeholder buy-in prior to starting a project or investigation; to make sure that approach and selected treatments are more standardized; and to ensure transparency in the organization to make at-grade crossings safer for pedestrians and bicyclists, without negatively impacting trains or vehicles.

 

Authors: Anna Bovbjerg AlligoodManali ShethDr. Anne GoodchildDr. Ed McCormackPolina Butrina
Paper

Rails-Next-to-Trails: A Methodology for Selecting Appropriate Safety Treatments at Complex Multimodal Intersections

 
Download PDF  (2.47 MB)
 
Download Slides PDF  (0.88 MB)
URL: https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0361198118792763
Publication: Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board
Volume: 2672 (10)
Pages: 27-Dec
Publication Date: 2018
Summary:

There are more than 212,000 at-grade railroad crossings in the United States. Several feature paths running adjacent to the railroad tracks, and crossing a highway; they serve urban areas, recreational activities, light rail station access, and a variety of other purposes. Some of these crossings see a disproportionate number of violations and conflicts between rail, vehicles, and pedestrians and bikes. This research focuses on developing a methodology for appropriately addressing the question of treatments in these complex, multimodal intersections. The methodology is designed to be able to balance a predetermined, prescriptive approach with the professional judgment of the agency carrying out the investigation. Using knowledge and data from the literature, field studies, and video observations, a framework for selecting treatments based on primary issues at a given location is developed. Using such a framework allows the agency to streamline their crossing improvement efforts; to easily communicate and inform the public of the decisions made and their reasons for doing so; to secure stakeholder buy-in prior to starting a project or investigation; to make sure that approach and selected treatments are more standardized; and to ensure transparency in the organization to make at-grade crossings safer for pedestrians and bicyclists, without negatively impacting trains or vehicles.

Authors: Anna Bovbjerg AlligoodPolina ButrinaDr. Ed McCormackManali ShethDr. Anne Goodchild
Recommended Citation:
Alligood, Anna & Sheth, Manali & Goodchild, Anne & McCormack, Edward & Butrina, Polina. (2018). Rails-Next-to-Trails: A Methodology for Selecting Appropriate Safety Treatments at Complex Multimodal Intersections. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 2672(10), 12–27. https://doi.org/10.1177/0361198118792763
Paper

The Effect of Distance on Cargo Flows: A Case Study of Chinese Imports and Their Hinterland Destinations

 
Download PDF  (2.06 MB)
URL: https://doi.org/10.1057/s41278-017-0079-3
Publication: Maritime Economics & Logistics
Volume: 20
Pages: 456-475
Publication Date: 2018
Summary:

 

With the rapid development of ports in China, competition for cargo is growing. The ability of a port to attract hinterland traffic is affected by many factors, including distance to the hinterland destinations. This paper studies the effects of distance on import cargo flows from a port to its hinterland. Two major findings are reported. Through a Spatial Concentration Analysis, this study shows that cargo imported through ports with relatively low throughput is primarily delivered to local areas, with the proportion of cargo delivered to local areas from larger ports being much smaller. The present study also shows (according to a gravity model, the Gompertz function and several other methods) that cargo flows from a large port to its hinterland increase with distance below a certain threshold, while cargo flows approach a stable state once they exceed this threshold. These results can be used to inform port managers and policy makers regarding the hinterland markets for ports of different sizes.

Authors: Dr. Anne Goodchild, Likun Wang, Yong Wang
Recommended Citation:
Wang, Likun, Anne Goodchild, and Yong Wang. (2017) The Effect of Distance on Cargo Flows: A Case Study of Chinese Imports and Their Hinterland Destinations. Maritime Economics & Logistics, 20(3), 456–475. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41278-017-0079-3
Paper

Rails-Next-to-Trails: A Methodology for Selecting Appropriate Safety Treatments at Complex Multimodal Intersections

 
Download Slides PDF  (0.88 MB)
URL: https://trid.trb.org/view/1496406
Publication: Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board
Volume: Transportation Research Board 97th Annual Meeting
Publication Date: 2018
Summary:

There are more than 212,000 at-grade railroad crossings in the US. A number of them features paths running adjacent to the railroad tracks, and crossing a highway; serving urban areas, recreational activities, light rail station access and a variety of other purposes. Some of these crossings see a disproportionate number of violations and conflicts between rail, vehicles and pedestrians and bikes. This research focuses on developing a methodology for appropriately addressing the question of treatments in these complex, multi-modal intersections. The methodology is designed to be able to balance a predetermined, prescriptive approach with the professional judgment of the agency carrying out the investigation. Using knowledge and data from literature, field studies and video observations, a framework for selecting treatments based on primary issues at a given location is developed. Using such a framework allows the agency to streamline their crossing improvement efforts; to easily communicate and inform the public of the decisions made and their reasons for doing so; to secure stakeholder buy-in prior to starting a project or investigation; to make sure that approach and selected treatments are more standardized; ensure transparency in the organization to make at-grade crossings safer for pedestrians and bicyclists, without negatively impacting trains or vehicles.

Authors: Anna Bovbjerg AlligoodManali ShethDr. Anne GoodchildDr. Ed McCormackPolina Butrina
Recommended Citation:
Alligood, Anna Bovbjerg, Manali Sheth, Anne Goodchild, Edward McCormack, and Polina Butrina. "Rails-next-to-trails: a methodology for selecting appropriate safety treatments at complex multimodal intersections." Transportation research record 2672, no. 10 (2018): 12-27.
Student Thesis and Dissertations

Life Cycle Assessment of American Wheat: Analysis of Regional Variations in Production and Transportation

Publication Date: 2009
Summary:

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a model-based approach to quantify where, and in what form, energy and materials are used in industrial production. The “life cycle” refers to the production of raw materials for fuels, infrastructure and energy conversion equipment, use, maintenance, after life options, and relevant health and social factors. This is sometimes referred to as a “cradle to grave” approach when assessing environmental impacts. Current interest in carbon footprint and environmental impacts of products derived from crops, primarily food and bio-fuels, first requires a detailed life cycle assessment of the agricultural production. American wheat is selected to study the variation in life cycle impacts of an agricultural product that has been aggregated in previous LCAs. All previous studies contain an LCA case study of one species of wheat grown in a specific location. Such a narrow approach is not an accurate representation of the system. This LCA of American wheat differs in the fact that it investigates multiple locations, species, variation in farming practices, fuel use, fertilizer application, and transportation throughout the country in an attempt to be inclusive of the spatial and species variability of wheat production on greenhouse gas emissions. Due to the decentralized nature of American agriculture, an understanding of transportation decisions and resulting impacts are especially important. Results indicate a 101% intra-species and 62% inter-species variation in greenhouse gas emissions of wheat grown in the U.S. However, due to a range of 1440 kg CO2 eq/ha to -1404 kg CO2 eq/ha, sequestration of carbon during cultivation is the most sensitive and variable contribution to life cycle greenhouse gas emissions.

Authors: Brendan O'Donnell
Recommended Citation:
O'Donnell, Brendan. (2009). Life cycle assessment of American wheat: Analysis of regional variations in production and transportation. University of Washington Master's Degree Thesis.
Thesis: Array
Student Thesis and Dissertations

Integrating Drayage Truck and Marine Terminal Operations to Improve Intermodal System Efficiency

Publication Date: 2011
Summary:

Container terminals are important intermodal interfaces between marine and land transport networks. These interfaces have historically been sources of congestion and logistical inefficiencies. Exacerbated by growing trade volumes, the terminals have become bottlenecks in the port-related supply chain. This research explores using truck arrival information to integrate drayage truck and container terminal operations and improve intermodal system efficiency. The first part of the dissertation investigates whether and to what extent pre-arrival information regarding drayage trucks can be used to reduce operational inefficiencies and truck delays within the terminal. An advanced container rehandling strategy is proposed for using truck arrival information to reduce container rehandling work, and a computer simulation model is developed for evaluating the impact of truck arrival information on container handling efficiency by adopting the proposed strategy during the import container retrieval operation. In addition, a queuing model is employed to assess the impact of truck information on truck transaction time within a terminal. The research results demonstrate that any amount of information about arrival trucks is effective for improving yard crane productivity and reducing truck transaction time.

The second part of the dissertation investigates the travel time reliability of the port drayage network and evaluates the predictability of drayage truck travel time. A simple but effective method is developed for predicting the 95% confidence interval of travel time between any OD pair and is validated with GPS data. The research results indicate that the proposed travel time prediction method is quite accurate in estimating the arrival time window of trucks at the terminals. It is therefore sufficient to support the implementation of the proposed container rehandling strategy. Overall, this research provides terminal operators with insights as to the impact of truck arrival information on system efficiency of drayage truck/terminal operations, travel time prediction method to improve information quality, and operational strategies to effectively utilize such information. The research results can identify terminals likely to experience significant benefits if utilizing truck information, and inform the design of a data sharing system and tools for acquiring better information.

Authors: Wenjuan Zhao
Recommended Citation:
Zhao, Wenjuan (2011). Integrating Drayage Truck and Marine Terminal Operations to Improve Intermodal System Efficiency, University of Washington Doctoral Dissertation.
Thesis: Array
Paper

Guide for Conducting Benefit-Cost Analyses of Multimodal, Multijurisdictional Freight Corridor Investments

URL: https://trid.trb.org/view.aspx?id=1467189
Publication: NCFRP Research Report
Volume: Project NCFRP-46
Publication Date: 2017
Summary:

This report provides a guidebook for conducting benefit-cost analyses of proposed infrastructure investments on multimodal, multi-jurisdictional freight corridors for public and private decision-makers and other stakeholders at local, state, regional, and national levels to arrive at more informed investment decisions.

The guidebook is a resource and a reference for multimodal freight investment benefit-cost analysis, data sources, procedures, and tools for projects of different geographic scales.

To help practitioners get started, the guidebook is presented in a “how to” format relying on discrete steps that are accompanied with realistic and recent examples, a fully worked out case study, checklists of dos and don’ts, and supporting worksheets.

View TRB Webinar: Benefit Cost Methodologies for Evaluating Multimodal Freight Corridor Investments

Authors: Dr. Anne Goodchild, Sharada Vadali, C. James Kruse, Kenneth Kuhn
Recommended Citation:
Vadali, Sharada, C. James Kruse, Kenneth Kuhn, and Anne Goodchild. Guide for Conducting Benefit-Cost Analyses of Multimodal, Multijurisdictional Freight Corridor Investments. No. Project NCFRP-46. 2017.
Paper

Current State of Estimation of Multimodal Freight Project Impacts

 
Download PDF  (0.50 MB)
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.3141/2410-16
Publication: Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board
Volume: 2410
Pages: 141-149
Publication Date: 2014
Summary:

As available data have increased and as the national transportation funding bills have moved toward objective evaluation, departments of transportation (DOTs) throughout the United States have begun to develop tools to attempt to measure the effects of different projects. Increasingly, DOTs recognize that the freight transportation system is necessarily multimodal. However, no DOTs have clearly stated objective tools with which to evaluate multimodal freight project comparisons.

This paper fills that gap by summarizing the existing academic literature on the state of the science for the estimation of freight project impacts and by reviewing methods currently used by selected DOTs nationwide. These methods are analyzed to identify common themes to determine potential avenues for multimodal project evaluation.

Authors: Dr. Anne Goodchild, Erica Wygonik, Daniel Holder, B. McMullen
Recommended Citation:
Wygonik, Erica, Daniel Holder, B. Starr McMullen, and Anne Goodchild. "Current State of Estimation of Multimodal Freight Project Impacts." Transportation Research Record 2410, no. 1 (2014): 141-149. 

Multimodal Freight Transportation Research Roadmap

The Supply Chain Transportation and Logistics (SCTL) Center and the Texas Transportation Institute are supporting development of the dynamic 5-to-10-year Multimodal Freight Transportation Research Roadmap, under the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) 20-114 project. The National Freight Research Roadmap recommends a prioritized portfolio of initiatives to advance the knowledge and capabilities of transportation decisionmakers. This roadmap outlines the research themes and research projects that comprise a 5- to 10-year strategic research agenda. It describes the research activities that formed the outreach to relevant stakeholders and presents the findings of those activities. To develop the roadmap, the Urban Freight Lab conducted three outreach activities: expert interviews, online survey, and workshops.

>> Learn more about this project

Background
As outlined in the U.S. DOT’s 30-year plan, Beyond Traffic, the nation’s ability to compete in global markets and to meet the needs and expectations of consumers and industry depends on a robust multimodal freight transportation system and agile and efficient supply chains. Rural communities, cities, and metropolitan areas rely on supply chains, and the supporting freight transportation systems, to send and receive vast amount of supplies needed by local economies. For example, freight-intensive-sectors (e.g., manufacturing, wholesale, retail, food, accommodation) – for which the production and/or consumption of supplies are an essential part of their business – represent 45% of the establishments and 50% of the employment in the United States.  Inefficient supply chains will have a negative effect on all of them, hampering economic activity. Furthermore, the freight system is under serious strain, with roads, railways, and airports becoming increasingly congested and increasingly aging.
Market and technological trends are impacting freight activity patterns in numerous ways, both globally and locally. International trade is increasing, global manufacturing centers are shifting, and trade routes are changing. Firms are driving down logistics costs through just-in-time shipping.
Online shopping is increasing demand for home delivery of consumer products, especially in dense urban environments. Retailers, faced with new mobile computing consumer buying behavior, are experimenting with a wide range of new transportation options for last mile delivery. Intermodal freight shipped in containers via ships, trains, and trucks is continuing to grow. Surging domestic energy production is straining infrastructure in oil production regions. In the next 30 years, changes in freight demand, shipping, manufacturing, logistics, technology, and energy production are poised to transform the economics of transportation yet again. By 2045, freight volume will increase 45% from current levels.
The increasing congestion in metropolitan areas is a major threat to the U.S. economy. About 80% of the freight transported in the U.S. has its origin or destination at one of the top 100 metropolitan areas, reflecting that the bulk of manufacturing is produced in metropolitan areas, and in turn, increases congestion and emissions in these areas. Taking into account the surge in Internet orders in the last several years, it is almost certain that deliveries to households now generate more freight trips than deliveries to commercial establishments.
At the same time, a host of new technologies and operational practices are transforming freight transportation systems and supply chains. Smart City technologies, truck platooning, autonomous trucks, drones, 3D printing, delivery crowdsourcing, and others are already making their mark. As an example, 3D printing may lead to decentralization of manufacturing and to the development of on-demand manufacturing, resulting in unforeseen demands on road infrastructure because of the growth in small truck freight trip generation.
There is a need to better understand the current and anticipated future freight trends to provide transportation agencies with the information they need to develop strategic plans. More specifically, research is needed to gain insight into how market and technological trends could impact transportation systems, safety, and the environment. Conducting research, with the collaboration of other stakeholders, that identifies, designs, pilot tests, and leads to the adoption of effective public sector freight initiatives, will help transportation agencies achieve their goals.

Objective

The objective of this project is to develop a dynamic 5- to 10-year multimodal freight research roadmap. The roadmap should emphasize problem statements with a scope and budget appropriate for NCHRP, but can include problem statements that are more suitable for other public, private, or academic research institutions or programs. The research roadmap should clearly define a portfolio of initiatives that will advance the knowledge and capabilities of transportation decision makers. The research roadmap should include, but not be limited to: (1) end-to-end emphasis (i.e., consider the research needs of all modes and stages of freight activity, from gateways, to corridors, to local deliveries); (2) identifying and assessing the impacts of social, technological, economic, environmental, and political trends on freight transportation systems and policies; (3) enhancing public sector decision-making capabilities (i.e., the research roadmap should lead to the development of new tools or methods and ways to gather necessary data for public agencies to make decisions that improve freight system performance); (4) expanding and deepening public sector knowledge (i.e., the research roadmap should contain projects that enhance the public sector’s understanding of the behavior of the agents involved in freight, and the best ways to influence them to improve freight system performance); and (5) addressing institutional issues (i.e., analyzing current and potential barriers to preventing improved freight transportation systems that could increase economic efficiency and productivity, foster sustainability, enhance livability, quality of life, and environmental justice).
The research roadmap should include: (1) a prioritized portfolio of problem statements, most of which should address the research gaps in a format and at a level of detail suitable for submission to NCHRP; (2) a detailed description and justification of how this portfolio addresses the five objective criteria; (3) an assessment of key gaps and needs that could be addressed through research and how this portfolio addresses these gaps; and (4) a dynamic communications concept (including format, platform, frequency, distribution channels, budget, and editorial and technical content) that could be widely distributed to keep practitioners informed of emerging issues affecting freight transportation.
Paper

Double-Cycling Strategies for Container Ships and Their Effect on Ship Loading and Unloading Operations

 
Download PDF  (0.22 MB)
URL: https://doi.org/10.1287/trsc.1060.0148
Publication: Transportation Science
Volume: 40(4)
Pages: 473-483
Publication Date: 2006
Summary:

Loading ships as they are unloaded (double cycling) can improve the efficiency of a quay crane and container port. This paper describes the double-cycling problem, and presents solution algorithms and simple formulae to determine reductions in the number of operations and operating time using the technique. We focus on reducing the number of operations necessary to turn around a row of a ship. The problem is first formulated as a scheduling problem, which can be solved optimally. A simple lower bound for all strategies is then developed. We also present a greedy algorithm that yields a simple and tight upper bound. The gap between the upper and lower bounds is so small that the formula for either bound is an accurate predictor of crane performance. The analysis is then extended to double cycling when ships have deck hatches. Results are presented for many simulated vessels, and compared to empirical data from a real-world trial. The research demonstrates that double cycling can create significant efficiency gains in crane productivity, typically reducing the number of cycles by about 20% and the operational time by about 10% when double cycling only below deck.

Authors: Dr. Anne Goodchild, C. Daganzo
Recommended Citation:
Goodchild, Anne V., and Carlos F. Daganzo. "Double-Cycling Strategies for Container Ships and Their Effect on Ship Loading and Unloading Operations." Transportation Science 40, no. 4 (2006): 473-483.