Network Design for Intermodal Barge Transport

During the past decade intermodal barge transport has been very successful in gaining market share in northwest Europe. The barge sector has been able to cater very well to the ever–increasing demands of shippers. It is now a leading mode of transport along the major river corridors and is opening new geographical markets. These successful developments are due to the beneficial cost–quality features of intermodal barge transport compared with its main competitor, unimodal road transport. However, to remain competitive in existing markets and to expand into new market areas the cost–quality features of intermodal barge transport must be improved. Network operations are important influences on the cost–quality performance. Which barge network operations provide the best performance, however, depends on the transport market to be served. This relation between barge network design, transport market, and the performance of intermodal barge transport is the central issue discussed. A general framework for barge network design is presented describing the design variables for barge networks and showing their relationship to the performance indicators of intermodal barge transport. Given the quantitative relations between the design variables for barge networks, it is possible to assess the performance of different types of barge networks for different transport markets. This tool is empirically demonstrated in a case study on the Rhine River. It demonstrates that changing the network operations will lead to further improvement of the competitiveness of intermodal barge transport in this corridor.