Hazardous Materials Transportation

Abstract Significant volumes of dangerous goods are transported by road, rail, and marine shipments. Accidental release of this cargo can be harmful to humans and the environment. Governments at different levels are responsible for protecting the public and the environment from the undesirable consequences of hazardous materials transportation. This introductory article provides a brief overview of the state of the art in hazardous materials transportation. To this end, the alternative transport modes for dangerous goods are discussed, the prevailing methodologies for transport risk assessment are highlighted and the risk mitigation policies available for regulators are underlined. The article also emphasizes that the transportation of hazardous materials through urban areas as well as the use of intermodal transport networks for dangerous goods shipments constitute two potentially fruitful avenues for future research.