AN INVESTIGATION OF TECHNOLOGICAL AND ECONOMIC FACTORS AFFECTING THE FUTURE OF INTERMODAL TRANSPORTATION IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST. FINAL REPORT

The overall goal of this study was to determine the feasibility of using intermodal technologies, new and existing, in moving Pacific Northwest (PNW) products to domestic and international markets. The first section of the report provides a general outlook and situation for intermodal transportation, searching for potential cost savings from intermodal usages and examining the regulatory influences affecting intermodal activities. These general preliminary findings are then specifically tested and analyzed in the next three sections. First, an examination of purchased transportation, as a generic intermodal commodity, documents the impact on cost economies of using intermodal movements. The findings, that intermodal transportation does reduce costs for general freight commodity carriers, are broadened and further tested by two case studies in the following two sections. A micro case study examination of the potential use of intermodal shipments (Identity Preserved Shipments or IPS) to aid in international exports of wheat to China is followed by an evaluation of the feasibility of utilizing new intermodal technologies (double-stack trains and RoadRailers) to move Washington agricultural products to market. The final section details the general findings and conclusions of the study and offers recommendations for policy formulation and an implementation procedure.