REGIONAL OPTIONS AND POLICIES FOR ENHANCING INTERMODAL FREIGHT TRANSPORT

The purpose of this presentation is to discuss the potential role of regional Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs), state departments of transportation, and other public sector agencies in enhancing intermodal truck-rail freight transport. Following a brief description of intermodal service and competitive economics, the question of why public bodies would act to improve intermodal service is addressed, and it is concluded that there are numerous potential public benefits to such policies. Then various actions are identified, categorized according to type: terminals, terminal access, line haul, and land use. The benefits, rationale, and problems with each are discussed. The variety of potential actions suggests that the potential for action by MPOs, states, and others, particularly in the context of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) and the Intelligent Transportation Infrastructure initiative (ITI), is substantial. Questions for research that appear to be central to greater government involvement in intermodal freight transport are identified in the concluding section.