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https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/27432/critical-issues-in-transportation-for-2024-and-beyond

Log Movement in the Superior Region – Rate and Capacity Based Analysis of Modal Shares

For the last two decades, the rail system in the Superior (Project) region (Upper Peninsula of Michigan and northern parts of Wisconsin and Minnesota) has witnessed declining freight volumes. This has specifically impacted forest products industry, one of the largest users of freight rail transportation in the region. Log movements by rail from aggregation points to the mills has been a cost effective and safe method for obtaining raw materials and many outbound forest products have moved to final destination from the mills by rail. Unfortunately, forest products movements (logs or final products) aren’t necessarily a perfect match with the current business model of larger railroads and as a result, changes in the rail rate and service structures have shifted increasing tonnage of forest products movements (especially logs) off the rails and onto trucks. Retaining and improving the transportation infrastructure and freight rail operations is vital to the efforts to increase the opportunities for economic growth and new job creation in the region. Retaining or expanding the forest products industry in this region is challenging without rail and the potential for any other natural resource/heavy manufacturing industry developments, whose prerequisite for a new development is rail access, is limited. This project, conducted by the Michigan Technological University (Michigan Tech) in collaboration with the Lake State Shipper Association (LSSA), CN Railway, Escanaba & Lake Superior Railroad, and the funding organizations, is part of an effort to develop a strategy for continuing freight movement by forest industry on railroads in the Project region. More specifically, it concentrated on the following five objectives and related research questions: (Objective 1) Create a model for, and recover, shipper data at the “actionable shipper data” level of detail; (Objective 2) Develop spatial model for the modal splits of log movements by truck versus by truck and rail for existing infrastructure (incorporating capacity and operational limitations); (Objective 3) Investigate a number of rail cars needed for log movements in the project area; (Objective 4) Explore the value and impact of increased log movements by rail on the log truckers; and (Objective 5) Identify inbound and outbound “non-log” movements by forest products and other industries.

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  • Supplemental Notes:
    • This document was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Transportation, University Transportation Centers Program.
  • Corporate Authors:

    Michigan Technological University, Houghton

    Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
    1400 Townsend Drive
    Houghton, MI  United States  49931-1295

    National University Rail Center (NURail)

    University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
    Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 205 N. Mathews Avenue
    Urbana, IL  United States  61801

    Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

    University Transportation Centers Program
    Department of Transportation
    Washington, DC  United States  20590
  • Authors:
    • Lautala, Pasi
    • Zhang, Kuilin
    • Ko, Sangpil
  • Publication Date: 2020-9

Language

  • English

Media Info

  • Media Type: Digital/other
  • Features: Appendices; Figures; Maps; References; Tables;
  • Pagination: 199p

Subject/Index Terms

Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 01754816
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Report/Paper Numbers: NURail2018-MTU-R16
  • Contract Numbers: DTRT13-G-UTC52
  • Files: UTC, NTL, TRIS, ATRI, USDOT
  • Created Date: Oct 19 2020 10:53AM