POTENTIAL FOR LOCATING INTERMODAL FACILITIES ON SHORT LINE RAILROADS

One of the greatest challenges Upper Great Plains rural communities face in competing to attract value-added processing ventures is a lack of transportation options. Value-added ventures provide opportunities for rural America to diversify economies and manage risk. Rural agricultural communities' inbound procurement and outbound distribution options are limited to local trucking companies and rail. Few communities generate enough truck traffic through existing businesses to offer evidence of excess or available truck capacity. Where rail is available, Class I carriers are reluctant to make short, less-than unit train, hauls for grain and offer limited options for other products originating or terminating in rural areas. An economic engineering model was developed to estimate start-up and operating costs of an intermodal facility located on a short line railroad. The model developed in this study has many useful features. Costs can be estimated for different equipment configurations and sizes of facilities. Sensitivity analysis provided insight into investment decisions where the proportions of annual operating costs increased at a much lower rate than proportionally larger investment costs. The model developed in this study provides information for shippers, short line railroads, economic developers, and Class I railroads. Analysis of intermodal traffic originating in North Dakota through the Public Use Waybill shows decreasing volume from 1995 to 1997. Decreasing volume reveals that North Dakota shippers do not have the opportunity to participate in the intermodal growth enjoyed by most of the United States.

• Record URL:
  https://www.ugpti.org/resources/reports/details.php?id=356
• 
• Record URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/50555
• Corporate Authors:

  Mountain-Plains Consortium

  North Dakota State University
  Fargo, ND  United States  58108
• Authors:
  • Berwick, M
• Publication Date: 2000-5

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: Appendices; Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 57 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Economic models; Equipment; Intermodal facilities; Investments; Operating costs; Rural areas; Short line railroads
• Uncontrolled Terms: Class I railroads; Shippers
• Geographic Terms: North Dakota
• Subject Areas: Economics; Freight Transportation; Railroads; Terminals and Facilities;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00793900
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: MPC Report No. 00-111
• Files: UTC, NTL, TRIS
• Created Date: Jun 19 2000 12:00AM