INTERMODAL TRANSPORTATION
MODULE 4
Introduction
What Exactly Is Intermodalism?
Transportation deals with the movement of people and goods from a point of origin to a
point of destination. The medium in which transportation takes place influences the type of
vehicle (i.e. mode) to be used. So for example, transportation movements by water could be
carried out using ocean vessels, coastal vessels or water barges; movements by air could be
accomplished using airplanes or helicopters; movements by land could be carried out using rail
freight trains, highway trucks, pipelines or belt conveyors. The transfer of people or goods
between two different modes is what we call an intermodal transfer.
Intermodalism therefore describes an approach to planning, building and operating
transportation that emphasizes the optimal utilization of the available transportation resources
and the connections between the different modes. Historically, the term intermodalism was used
to refer to freight intermodal movements and particularly those movements involving the use of
containers. However, with the passage of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act
in 1991, the term was broadened to include intermodal passenger movements as well. In the
current module, we will address ITS applications to both aspects of intermodalism (i.e. freight
and passengers), focusing first on intermodal freight movements.
Intermodal Freight Transportation
Intermodal freight transportation is the seamless and continuous door-to-door
transportation of freight on two or more transportation modes (the buzzword here is "seamless").
It is logistically linked and handled as one continuous through-shipment under the authority of a
single freight bill. Intermodal freight transportation is not just the hardware or equipment
involved with the freight movement, but the process, which becomes a major component of the
systems approach to business.
In the past decade or so, intermodalism has grown dramatically. Double-stack trains,
intermodal terminals, and other hardware improvements have resulted in a tremendous increase
in efficiency to users of the transportation system. While modifications to physical infrastructure
such as the ones described above are likely to continue, it seems quite certain now that the
greatest opportunity for system improvement over the coming decades will come from
advancements in information technologies, communications and data accuracy; in other words,
from the application of ITS technologies to intermodal freight transportation.
In order for us to appreciate what ITS can offer to intermodal freight transportation, we
have first to understand the freight industry, and the recent trends in intermodal freight
transportation. This is what we will focus on next.
Components of the Freight Transportation System
Freight transportation service in the U.S. is largely a private sector business. The Federal
government's role has typically been confined to (a) the provision of infrastructure funding
through modal trusts funds; and (b) the regulation of the use of the system. Basically, the
nation's freight transportation system consists of five modal systems: (1) maritime transportation;
(2) rail transportation; (3) pipelines; (4) highway transportation; and (5) air transportation. Each
of these systems in turn is made of the following components:
1.
2.
3.
4.
A Network of Infrastructure (i.e. roads, railway tracks, or waterways);
Terminals where cargo transfers between modes;
Vehicles which carry cargo; and
Federal and State Regulatory framework and funding systems.
At the current moment, these different modes operate in parallel and sometimes cooperatively,
but each largely retains its own distinct ownership and operating patterns (intermodalism is
attempting to change that!). A brief description of each of these modes follows.
(1) Maritime Transportation
Terminals in the maritime transportation system are either owned by the private sector
(mainly bulk terminals)1, or by state or local authorities (primarily container and general cargo
terminals)1. Public terminals may be operated by the local port authority or by a private terminal
operator. In the recent years, the deregulation of the shipping industry along with the
introduction of larger ships and doublestack trains have resulted in the concentration of
commerce in a limited number of large and highly competitive "load center" ports. These "load
centers" are the ones capable of receiving the large ships and of handling the large number of
containers. Since these ports are often at the center of urban areas, concern about the resulting
congestion is a real issue. As congestion continues to increase, the development of connected
inland terminals and sorting/distribution yards may become more economical.
(2) Rail Transportation
The introduction of double-stack container trains in 1984 transformed the economics and
performance of rail transportation of containers, and helped the growth of intermodal traffic.
Today, the entire Class 1 rail system (this includes tracks, trains and terminals) is privately
owned. Historically, rail terminals were located in center cities. Many of these terminals have
been modernized to allow for handling intermodal traffic and containers from nearby ports.
However, with the increase in congestion, several railroads are now building large intermodal
terminals on the fringe of major metropolitan areas.
1
Cargo can be categorized into general and bulk. General cargo consists of semi-finished or finished products like
apparel, electronic products, machinery, packaged goods and vehicles. Bulk cargo includes coal, petroleum, grains,
and iron.
(3) Pipelines
By their very nature, pipelines transport the product from point to point, and hence they
typically donot interchange with other modes of transportation.
(4) Highway Transportation
The flexibility of truck transportation allows this mode to provide door-to-door service.
Highway transportation, however, is the most expensive mode of transportation, after air. Truck
companies include a wide range of size and technical sophistication: long-haul trucking
companies, and local pick-up and delivery companies. In the recent year, there has been a trend
toward using larger and longer trucks. While these larger trucks provide shipper efficiencies,
they lack access to older urban areas with bridge and tunnel restrictions. They also create a
perceived safety problem, and serious issues for road design, construction and funding.
Intermodalism was first perceived by trucking companies as a loss of business to
railroads. Now however, they have come to recognize that intermodal partnering with railroads
could actually be quite beneficial to their business, by opening new market opportunities. This is
simply because, regardless of the line-haul mode, trucks will need to be used for local pick-up
and delivery.
(5) Air Transportation
Air freight still represents a small share of overall freight tonnage (less than 1%), but in
terms of value, it represents a significant portion (around 20% of international trade - by value).
Nearly all air freight is intermodal since local pick-up and delivery is provided by trucks. Major
airports are typically owned by local or state government. Airports were developed primarily for
passenger transportation; cargo facilities are often developed and owned by the public authority
and leased to private operators.
Third Party Services
The modes of transportation described on the previous pages have each developed
independently without great concern to connection between the modes. The need to integrate the
disparate and not always cooperative modal systems has, in the recent years, encouraged the
development of a range of third party services to link the line-haul modal services into a
seamless door-to-door operation. There are several examples of these third party services
including:
(1) Intermodal Marketing Companies (IMC) which augment the freight carrier's own
capabilities, notifying customers of freight status and monitoring freight payments;
(2) Value-added-networks that offer mechanisms for the electronic exchange and
manipulation of transportation information; and
(3) The management of container, chassis and railcar pools, which help improve
equipment utilization (the idea here is to have a pool of say containers that several
companies can use for their businesses).
Trends in Intermodal Freight Transportation
Recent years are witnessing a dramatic increase in the volume of intermodal freight
transportation. Here are just some examples. The number of containers moving through ports
worldwide doubled over the last decade. Intermodal traffic on U.S. railroads tripled over the last
two decades, and the volume of containers, intermodal truck trailers and roadrailers handled by
railroads grew from 3.0 million to 8.7 million over the same period. The volume of intermodal
air freight also doubled over the last decade. Over the past twenty years, imports and exports
have grown to the point that they now make over 20% of the U.S. gross domestic product.
International trade is expected to triple over the next 25 years. This shift toward greater
interdependence of the world's economies will have an enormous impact on the demand for
transportation services.
Let us now try to identify some of the recent trade and transportation trends that are
affecting the intermodal transportation industry. Seven of these trends are listed below.
1. Industry Structural Change - Deregulation of the different transportation modes in the recent
years has permitted merges and consolidation. It has also allowed the creation of multimodal
companies and strategic alliances between companies. A multimodal company owns the entire
transportation chain (i.e. the different modes involved in cargo transport) resulting in what we
call "vertical integration". A good example of a multimodal company is illustrated by CSX
railroad acquisition of: (1) an ocean carrier (SeaLand); (2) an intermodal trucking company
(Overnight Transportation); and (3) a barge line (American Commercial Lines). Companies
have also entered into alliances (what we call "horizontal integration") to offer the full range of
intermodal service as with the agreements between railroads and major truckers.
2. Trend toward Larger Vehicles - Motivated by the need for greater efficiencies, the industry is
witnessing a trend toward larger vehicles. This includes larger, deeper oceangoing vessels,
doublestack trains, longer, heavier trucks, and wide body airplanes. As we previously mentioned,
the use of larger vehicles have resulted in concentrating the freight activity at major hubs or
"load centers", placing demands on the infrastructure at those hubs. Surges of cargo volume
resulting from larger ships and longer trains have generated demand for more efficient terminals
to increase throughput, and have raised concern about landside access to terminals.
3. Shared Assets - Pooling equipment to allow greater efficiency and utilization of assets is
becoming increasingly common as companies seek to cut costs and improve service. A good
example of that is the neutral-container pools introduced by the railroads.
4. Supply Chain Integration - Businesses are using advanced technologies to integrate shipper
and carrier systems and services, resulting in a dramatic reduction in the cycle time from
production to sale.
5. End-to-End Service - At the current time, shippers are increasingly asking for door-to-door
service, requiring carriers to develop agreements and alliances to allow for the "seamless"
transport of goods. They are also increasingly emphasizing quality and reliability.
6. Outsourcing - Outsourcing has also been a recent trend. The ides here is for companies to
focus on their "core competencies", and outsource other functions. Railroads, for example, have
decided to focus on the line-haul business, and to contract out marketing and intermodal
interface to third party experts.
7. Paperless Information Exchange - Transmiting information from mode to mode typically
creates an enormous amount of paperwork. Paperwork represents an obstacle to "seamless"
intermodal transportation. There is currently a definite trend toward the use of integrated
information systems to address operations, tracking, billing and other functions. The dramatic
increase in Internet access and the World Wide Web offers endless opportunities for
communications and information exchange which will transform transportation and logistics
management.
Faced with these recent trends and the challenging environment that they create,
intermodal companies have turned to advanced technologies to help them cur cost and improve
service as we will discuss next.
Advanced Technologies for Intermodal Freight Transportation
The intermodal shipment of cargo requires not only the transfer of cargo between modes,
but also the transfer of information. Advanced technologies have had a significant impact on
freight distribution. We could basically identify two classes of technologies namely: (1) cargo
and equipment tracking technologies; and (2) information exchange and communication
technologies.
Cargo and Equipment Tracking
Transportation and logistics are being revolutionized by the ability to use
communications technology to identify and monitor cargo in real-time. Examples of these
technologies include:
Radio Frequency (RF) Tags - the idea here is to use signals between RF tags and interrogators
for automated equipment identification (AEI). The technology is widely used today in the port
and rail industries, as well as in warehousing and manufacturing applications. It is also used to
manage traffic flow through port gates, and to track yard equipment. Tags could either be of the
passive-type or the active-type. Active read/write tags are essentially mini-computers that are
capable of holding a complete container manifest.
Satellite-Based Location Determination and Communication - These technologies can be used to
fulfill two functions: (1) aviation and maritime navigation; and (2) real-time vehicle and cargo
tracking. There are basically two elements to such systems:
1. The Global Positioning System (GPS) - As you have learnt in the first ITS course,
GPS determines the exact location of an object on the surface of the earth by
measuring the distance it takes for radio signals to travel from the DOD-owned
constellation of 24 satellites to the receiver location (readings from at least 4
satellites are needed to locate a point);
2. Satellite Wireless Communications - After determining cargo and equipment
locations, there is typically a need to communicate this information, say to a dispatch
center. In this group of technologies, satellite communication systems are used for
this purpose. There are two types of such systems that could be used:
A) Geosynchronous (Geostationary ) Satellite Communications - These satellites are
so called because they move at a certain speed that makes them appear stationary
to an observer on the surface of the earth. The fact that these satellites are
stationary relative to the earth is quite advantageous, since it simplifies the
construction of satellite dishes (earth stations) that could remain pointed at one
spot in the sky. Geostationary satellites are capable of providing voice and data
communications to all four corners of every state, but the cost of communication
is quite high.
B) Low-Earth-Orbit (LEO) Satellite Communications - These satellites travel much
closer to the surface of the earth than Geostationary satellites, and therefore their
signals suffer much less interference and distortion. LEOs promise substantially
to lower the cost of satellite communications in the near future.
Cellular Technologies - Some companies, UPS for example, use cellular phone communication
systems to maintain direct 2-way contact with the drivers allowing them to provide real-time
information to their customers.
Bar Codes - As we all know, one-dimensional bar codes are arrays of parallel narrow rectangular
bars and spaces which represent characters in a particular symbology. Bar codes can be printed,
scanned, decoded and transferred to a computer. The technology relieves the user of the tedious
and error-prone task of reading a label and key-entering the information into a computer. Bar
codes are widely used in transportation for identifying equipment. In addition to onedimensional bar codes, we also have two-dimensional bar codes. These use multiple dots or
other arrays that are capable of encoding larger amounts of data, and can be used for personal
identification or bills of lading.
Smart Cards - Smart cards are integrated circuit cards the size and shape of a credit card which
contain an electronic chip allowing them to process as well as store information (typically in the
range of 2K - 8K). Smart cards are increasingly being used in freight transportation as part of
gate transactions to identify the driver and the trucking company.
Information Exchange and Communications Technologies
As we previously mentioned, the interchange of information is as important to the
intermodal movement of freight as the interchange of freight itself. Historically, the
documentation associated with freight movement created an enormous amount of paper work,
endless chances for errors in transmission and data entry, and significant delays while cargo
waited for the necessary documentation to take place. The application of advanced information
and communication technologies to enhance electronic commerce is helping provide for
seamless service through the use of computer links for business information exchange. An
important aspect of electronic commerce is the Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) concept,
which we came across in our previous module. EDI involves the transfer of data between
business partners using very specific industry standards, data sets and protocols.
The U.S. Customs Service accelerated adoption of automated billing and cargo
manifesting by introducing an automated system for ocean and air cargo. This system facilitated
electronic filing of cargo manifest, bill of lading, vessel arrival times, status notification and
other information, resulting in quicker freight release time.
Having described the two broad types of technologies used in the intermodal freight
transportation, we will now describe some concrete examples of actual systems that are used to
optimize shipment and asset management.
Intermodal Freight Industry Applications of Advanced Technologies
Shipment Information Systems - these systems are used to manage the flow of materials and
products, and optimize the visibility (i.e. you know where things are) and control of goods
through a logistics system. Integrated systems, through the use of information management and
communications technologies, link almost everyone involved in the logistics chain including
suppliers, manufacturers, carriers, distributors, retailers, and consumers. Examples of such
systems include UPS and Federal Express on-line tracking systems.
Terminal Inventory Management Systems - these systems are used to track and manage the
movement of containers and trailers within port, rail and truck terminals. The main objectives
behind using such systems are (1) to optimize the use of very valuable space in terminals; (2)
manage the stacking of containers of different lengths; (3) to make efficient use of labor and
equipment; and (4) to schedule equipment repair and maintenance. Terminal inventory
management systems use optimization routines and other decision support systems to manage the
very complex operations taking place at terminals. They also use RF AEI technologies and GPS
receivers for location identification.
Ship Stowage Management Systems - As you might imagine the loading and unloading of
containers aboard ships is a challenging problem to say the least. Ship stowage management
systems are designed to help plan and track the location of containers aboard ships with the
objectives of: (1) maximizing stability; (2) minimize the handling of containers during loading
and unloading; and (3) identifying and isolating hazardous cargo. To achieve this, these systems
use computer models and optimization or expert systems software to arrive at the best plan. Ship
stowage management systems are typically linked to terminal inventory management systems to
increase efficiency.
Gate Clearance Systems - these systems automate the verification and inspection of drivers,
trucks, trailers, containers, etc. moving into and out of marine, rail, air, and truck terminals.
They are used to verify bookings and to maintain security. To achieve this, gate clearance
systems use AVI technologies (such as RF transponders), and optical character recognition
(OCR) systems that takes and reads a sophisticated, encrypted digital pictures of containers,
chassises and drivers. There are examples of such systems in a number of terminals around the
nation including the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
Asset Location and Management Systems - these systems locate and track vehicles and
containers. They can be used to estimate the time of arrival, minimize out-of-route travel,
optimize equipment utilization and improve safety and security. The 2 key technologies used are
(1) GPS for location identification; and (2) wireless communication using geostationary or low
earth orbit satellites.
Railcar Planning Systems - Railyards are the places where the railcars get assembled into actual
trains. These systems are designed to optimize railyards' operations by providing for the
efficient configuration of loads and railcars. They help enhance rail terminal operations by
optimizing the use of space, managing containers and equipment, and improving the scheduling
of loads and deliveries for rail operations. (Could you list some of the technologies needed to
develop such systems?). Similar to terminal inventory management systems, railcar planning
systems computer and optimization models, RF AEI technologies, and GPS receivers for
location identification.
Customs Clearance Systems - as we previously alluded, these systems automate the filing,
processing, review and issuance of documents for import and export of goods. They use
transaction processing software and communications technology to improve customs control and
minimize delays to shippers and receivers.
Now, you might have noticed that most of the systems we have just discussed are systems
that have been implemented by the freight industry (i.e. by the private sector). However, if you
think about it, there are several other publicly owned ITS systems that could help improve the
efficiency of intermodal transportation (could you name some?)
Public-sector ITS applicable to Intermodal Transportation
By now, you should be quite familiar with the following systems:





Advanced Traffic Management Systems (ATMS) that are used to improve the flow of traffic,
reduce congestion and improve the safety of road operations
Incident Management Systems that enable transportation and safety officials to quickly and
accurately identify incidents and implement a set of actions to reduce the impact of incidents
on traffic flow
Electronic Toll Collection Systems that enable the electronic payment of highway, bridge and
tunnel tolls
Safety Assurance Systems that provide information on the safety history and performance of
motor carrier and drivers
Credentials Administration Systems that automate the filing, review, payment and issuance of
oversize or overweight permits, among other credentials


Electronic Screening Systems that enables commercial vehicles to avoid stops
Advanced Traveler Information Systems that provide real-time information on highway
congestion, incidents, construction and road closures
Another ITS system that you might not be familiar with yet belongs to what we call

Railroad Grade Crossing Management Systems - these systems manage gates and warning
systems at highway-at-grade rail crossings. The objective is to improve safety and reduce
delays by providing notice to drivers when a train is approaching, and early warning to train
engineers when vehicles are blocking a crossing. To do this, they use a combination of radar,
sound and traffic sensors. Railroad grade crossing management systems are typically linked
to rail and highway traffic operations centers.
Unfortunately, to date, there has been little, if any, linkage between the private and public
sector systems. However, the true solution to managing the current and anticipated increase in
intermodal transportation could only be realized through linking these systems so that public and
private operators can share information to optimize flow and better utilize equipment and
facilities. In the following section, we will describe the challenges of linking these systems, and
provide a description of some concepts for such a linkage.
Linking Private and Public ITS Systems
Challenges
As we have just mentioned, efforts to link systems, especially between the private and
public sectors, have been uneven and inconsistent. The challenges to such integration are at
three levels: business strategy, information technology and intermodal operations.
Business Strategy Challenges
The intermodal industry is by its very nature fragmented, complex and highly
competitive. It depends upon the cooperation of a large number of widely diverse stakeholders
working in different modes, regions and even countries. Each group has its own set of business
philosophy, culture and operations. It should be expected that the intermodal industry that has
been slow to link systems across private sector operations would be equally slow to embrace the
concept of linking private and public systems.
Information Technology Challenges
The intermodal industry lacks a high-level information system architecture that defines
how and with whom information is shared, and what standards should apply. Some of the
reasons behind the lack of this architecture are the competitive nature of the industry and its
sheer complexity. A few number of the largest intermodal companies have integrated shipment
information and asset management systems, but most private and public systems address only the
needs of a single mode or firm. Moreover, the industry has been slow to adopt and evolve
information exchange standards. The result of all this is what we call, "islands" of information
that are not linked to one another.
Intermodal Operations Challenges
Unfortunately, at the current moment, there is a little cooperation among public and
private sectors to leverage their complementary investments in freight and traffic management
systems. While both sectors share similar needs (namely to reduce congestion, improve traffic
flow and enhance safety and security), they have different mandates and different work styles.
Return on investment is the main factor driving the private sector. For the public sector, public
needs and political pressure are the main drivers. Unfortunately, there is a high risk of
miscommunication of needs, duplication of effort and unproductive investment.
Efforts are now underway to address these challenges and to leverage the complementary
investments made by public and private sectors in enhancing the efficiency of the nation's
intermodal freight transportation system. So what opportunities are there for linking the two
types of systems? This is what we will discuss next.
ITS/Intermodal Concepts
In this section, we describe some concepts that combine existing, intermodal freight
systems and ITS applications. These concepts attempt to link private sector shipment and asset
management systems with the public sector traffic and safety management systems.
Concept 1 - Terminal Outbound Flow Management
Traffic signals on the roads leading out of terminals can cause congestion, queuing and
delays for trucks exiting the terminal gates. This concept attempts to improve the mobility of
outbound trucks by adjusting traffic signals based on real-time traffic data and optimized signal
timing plans. The concept calls for linking the following two systems:
1. Terminal gate clearance systems (private sector); and
2. Traffic-responsive or traffic-adaptive signal control systems
Gate clearance systems would communicate information on the volumes of trucks exiting to the
traffic control system. The traffic control system would use this information to adjust signal
timings to accommodate the traffic volume expected, and to minimize queues.
Concept 2 - Terminal Inbound Flow Management
Heavy inbound traffic heading toward terminal gates can exceed processing capacity in
some cases. This results in queues that may spillback onto access roads. It also results in delays
at terminals, and high peak-period operating costs. The curremt concept is aimed at improving
the management of terminal inbound traffic by using information on the anticipated volume and
arrival times to spread out total arrivals. Under this concept, the following systems will be
linked:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Electronic toll collection systems (public);
Weigh station clearance systems (public);
Gate clearance systems (private);
Motor carrier routing and dispatching systems that automates the routing and
dispatching of trucks (private)
Under this concept, electronic toll collection and weigh station clearance systems would
identify passing trucks and mark the location and time. The observation would then be passed to
terminal operators who would use the information to anticipate truck arrivals, and pre-plan gate
operations. Terminal operators could also communicate with motor carrier dispatchers to
schedule arrival times.
Concept 3 - Incident Avoidance
This concept will provide motor carriers with real-time information on incidents,
congestion, construction, and other traffic conditions to enable them to optimize their routing and
dispatching by avoiding incidents and other delays. The concept would link the following
systems:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Traffic management systems (public);
Incident management systems (public);
Traveler Information systems (public); and
Motor carrier routing and dispatching systems (private)
Regional incident and traffic management systems collect information on incidents,
congestion and other traffic conditions. This information could be passed, via the traveler
information system, to motor carriers routing and dispatching systems. The routing and
dispatching systems would then use this information to select alternate routes or to adjust
dispatching to avoid accidents and other delays, taking into account designated truck routes,
weight limitations and other restrictions.
You might have noticed that this concept was previously discussed in the previous
module under the Carrier Operations program area of the ITS/CVO program.
What was one example of a system with such capabilities?
Concept 4 - At-Grade Rail Crossing Advance Notification
Trucks, as well as passenger cars, often experience significant delays at at-grade railroad
crossings. This concept aims at enabling vehicles to avoid delays at at-grade highway/railroad
crossings by providing advance notification of train arrivals. The key systems that need to be
linked here are:
1. Railroad grade crossing management systems (public);
2. Traveler information systems (public); and
3. Motor carrier routing and dispatching systems (private).
Railroad grade crossing management systems will provide information on approaching trains.
This information will then be passed, via traveler information systems, to motor carriers routing
and dispatching systems for use in diverting trucks to alternate routes and avoiding delays.
ITS and Passenger Intermodal Transportation
We now turn our attention to the other side of the coin (i.e. intermodal passenger
transportation). In the U.S., passenger transportation falls largely under the responsibility of the
public sector, and the application of advanced technologies to passenger transportation needs has
mainly been a public sector initiative. You should by now be quite familiar with the different
ITS technologies that could be used to improve the efficiency and safety of passenger
transportation (from previous modules). Given this, our focus here will be on describing some
ITS concepts that could be used to improve the intermodal aspect of passenger transportation
(i.e. passenger movements involving more than one mode - for example passenger car/transit,
passenger car/airplane, etc.).
Concept 1 - Intermodal Center Timed Transfer Management
In many cases, the traditional radial, fixed-route transit systems cannot serve the
dispersed travel patterns of suburban developments. To provide the required connections, many
systems use schedules in which many routes focus on a single transit center (transfer center). In
this case, trips on all routes involved are scheduled to arrive at the transfer center at the same
time to enable riders to transfer. To achieve this, operators typically allot additional time in the
route schedules to accommodate unexpected delays, thereby increasing service costs.
The current ITS concept (see Figure) will monitor the transit vehicle locations in realtime, and provide dispatchers with this information. Dispatchers could then advise vehicles to
either wait or speed up if another vehicle is delayed. The dispatcher could also contact other
modes (e.g. taxi, paratransit, etc.) to meet delayed passengers. The system will also have the
capability to provide updated schedule information to passengers through displays in stations,
stops, and even in homes and businesses (through the phone or the Internet, for example).
Intermodal Center Timed Transfer Management Concept
Source: Multimodal Responsive Strategies
Concept 2 - Transit Park-and-Ride Information and Space Reservation
Lack of sufficient parking (or the uncertainty about the ability to find a parking spot) is a
major impediment to the use of park & ride lots for bus and transit systems. This concept (see
Figure below) will use ITS technologies to eliminate this uncertainty. Under this concept, a
driver would be able to obtain information on parking availability over the phone or the Internet.
He/she would then have the choice to reserve the space at the desired lot. Smart cards could be
used for payment, and typically a driver would be charged a fee for places reserved but not used.
Transit Park-and-Ride Information and Space Reservation Concept
Concept 3 - Advanced Traveler Information System (ATIS) for Parking Availability
Parking in large cities has always been a major problem. Some recent studies show that
in some areas, 20% or more of the traffic during peak times is people looking for parking spaces.
The current concept calls for the development of an ATIS that would not only guide people to
their destination, but would also guide them to available parking spots. Such a system would
continuously monitor the availability of spots at lots, garages and selected on-street areas, and
continuously broadcast updated information to in-vehicle ATIS systems.
Concept 4 -Airport Access/Passenger Pickup
Many airports in the U.S. experience severe traffic congestion during peak periods.
Studies show that visitor traffic accounts for about one third of all airport traffic, but drop-off
and pickup areas are often inadequate to meet the demand. This is especially true when air
traffic experiences major delays, and queues of people waiting to pick up passengers starn to
develop. As you might have noticed, this problem is mainly the result of a lack of intermodal
coordination, and ITS could definitely help resolve this problem. First, air flight information
could be made available to homes and offices via the Internet for example. People picking up
passenger could then check the latest schedules before they leave home. Upon reaching the
airport, visitors could once again check on the most recent flight status via in-vehicle ATIS. For
the flights that have not arrived, people could be directed to holding lots, and then to pickup
points once the flight does arrive (see Figure).
Airport Access/Passenger Pickup Concept
It should be noted that the concepts we have just described are just illustrative examples
of how ITS could help intermodal passenger transportation. In fact, the opportunities are
endless. Could you think of some other ITS/Intermodal applications of your own that would
enhance passenger intermodal transportation?
Review Questions
1. What do we exactly mean by "intermodalism"?
2. Give some examples of how "intermodalism" has grown over the last two decades
3. What are the four basic elements making up any modal system?
4. How did trucking companies first view "intermodalism", and what is their current view of
"intermodalism"?
5. What motivated the development of third party services, and what are some examples of the
services they provide?
6. In the context of "intermodalism", what do we mean by "vertical integration" and "horizontal
integration"?
7. Give some examples of cargo identification and tracking technologies.
8. Differentiate between Geostationary Satellite and Low-Earth-Orbit Satellite communications.
9. Briefly describe the basic operational concept behind the following systems:
 Terminal Inventory Management Systems
 Ship Stowage Management Systems
 Gate Clearance Management Systems
10. What are the challenges in linking the advanced freight management systems of the private
sector and the public ITS applicatins?
11. In freight intermodal transportation, there are many opportunities for linking private-sector
advanced technology systems with the public sector ITS applications, to improve the safety
and efficiency of freight transportation. We have described four of these opportunities in the
current module. You are now given a description of two more concepts, and you are asked to
identify the private and public systems that would need to be linked in order to implement the
concept, and describe how the concept works.

Opportunity A - Intermodal HAZMAT Incident Response - the idea here is to
facilitate the response to incidents involving intermodal hazardous materials
shipments.

Opportunity B - Motor Carrier Credentials at Terminals - the idea here is to
enable a driver to obtain a permit at the terminal for transporting an oversize or an
overweight load.
12. Describe some ITS/Intermodal applications (besides the four concepts we described in this
module) that would enhance passenger intermodal transportation.