Intermodal Transportation as an Integrative Force

Intermodality can be conceived as the transition from one mode of transportation to another, and is organized around the followings concepts:

1. The nature and quantity of the transported commodities;
2. The modes of transportation being used;
3. The origins and destinations;
4. Transportation time and costs;
5. The value of the commodities and the frequency of shipment.

The above figures illustrate two alternatives to freight distribution. The first is a conventional point-to-point multimodal network where origins (A, B and C) are independently linked to destinations (D, E and F). In this case, two modes (road and rail) are used. The second alternative involves the development of an integrated intermodal transport network with common load units (containers). Traffic converges at two transshipment points, rail terminals, where loads are consolidated. This can result in higher load factors and/or higher transport frequency, especially between terminals. Under such circumstances, the efficiency of such a network mainly resides in the transshipment capabilities of transport terminals.

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