Intermodal Rail Freight in Britain: A Terminal Problem?

Abstract Rail has increased its share of the British freight market in the past decade. One particular growth market has been intermodal traffic, where consignments are carried in unit loads (i.e. containers and swap bodies): these accounted for one-fifth of rail freight volumes in 2006/07. In this paper, the key trends are identified, considering both port and domestic services. A critical component of the rail system in allowing further development is the availability and capability of rail terminals. An analysis of terminal provision has been conducted, examining the relationship between the development of intermodal terminals and service provision, and identifying the key challenges for the future.

[1]  Chris Nash,et al.  Investigating the market for inter-modal freight technologies , 1991 .

[2]  Great Britain. Office for Standards in Education,et al.  Transport statistics, Great Britain , 1976 .

[3]  Alan De Burton.  Delivering a sustainable railway , 2007 .

[4]  Allan G. Woodburn,et al.  The non-bulk market for rail freight in Great Britain , 2006 .

[5]  Rod Eddington,et al.  The Eddington Transport Study: Main Report - Transport's Role in Sustaining the UK's Productivity and Competitiveness , 2006 .

[6]  K Barker,et al.  Barker review of land use planning - final report - recommendations , 2006 .

[7]  Russ Haywood.  Rail freight growth and the land use planning system , 2001 .

[8]  J. Palutikof,et al.  Climate change 2007 : impacts, adaptation and vulnerability , 2001 .

[9]  Vincent R. Gray.  Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis Summary for Policymakers , 2007 .

[10]  Jan Jacob Trip,et al.  Integration of small freight flows in the intermodal transport system , 2002 .

[11]  Toru Nakamura.  WHITE PAPER, European transport policy for 2010 : time to decide , 2004 .

[12]  Anna-Maria Lekka,et al.  Assessment of a transport policy potential for intermodal mode shift on a European scale , 2007 .

[13]  Lori Tavasszy,et al.  Towards collaborative, intermodal hub networks. A case study in the fast moving consumer goods market , 2005 .

[14]  Erhan Kozan,et al.  Optimum Capacity for Intermodal Container Terminals , 2006 .

[15]  Illia Racunica,et al.  OPTIMAL LOCATION OF INTERMODAL FREIGHT HUBS , 2005 .

[16]  Kate Barker,et al.  Barker Review of Land Use Planning , 2006 .

[17]  Allan G. Woodburn,et al.  The role for rail in port-based container freight flows in Britain , 2007 .

[18]  Russ Haywood,et al.  Evaluation of the policies in British local transport plans with regard to the promotion of rail freight , 2003 .