The results presented in this article identify the role of costs in the scientific and grey freight terminal handling literature and analyses the handling costs of different terminal sizes. The literature review shows that handling costs only play a marginal role in the scientific research in intermodal rail freight terminals (IRT). This is remarkable given the large role costs occupy in decisi...

An increased role for rail freight is an objective of the British government. Limited growth potential exists in rail’s traditional bulk markets, so more non-bulk volume is needed. This paper focuses on non-bulk rail freight activity in Britain, through deskbased research and company interviews. It considers changes in both the intermodal and traditional less-than-trainload (LTL) markets over t...

Six principles for operation of the rail part of intermodal rail freight transport systems are described: direct link, corridor, hub-and-spoke, connected hubs, static routes, and dynamic routes. The first part is a theoretical discussion of the characteristics of the transport network designs. The theory is then applied to intermodal freight transport by analysing how each transport network des...

While largely due to conditions outside their control, the configuration and setting of current intermodal rail terminals contribute to congestion and increased freight handling volumes that have resulted in additional transportation costs for shippers and carriers. Although a substantial body of research has focused on improving the efficiency of port operations and multi-modal freight shipmen...