Intermodal Transportation

This Chapter focuses on Intermodal Freight Transportation, broadly defined as the transportation of a load from its origin to its destination by a sequence of at least two transportation modes, the transfer from one mode to the next being performed at an intermodal terminal. Container-based transportation services are an important part of intermodal transportation and the backbone of international trade. This importance is reflected in this Chapter. We also examine issues related other intermodal systems or components, such as postal services, intermodal rail transportation, and seaport container terminals. Compared to several other application areas, Operations Research models and methods for intermodal freight transportation is still a very young domain. The goal of the chapter is thus to be informative and provide a starting point for future research, by providing an overview of the evolution of the field and presenting methodological developments proposed to address a number of important operations and planning issues: system and service design, container fleet management, planning of container terminal operations, and national planning. We focus on models. Algorithmic developments are indicated but not examined in any depth.