When I worked for the Australian Federal government, my Department funded the building of several seperate intermodal train terminals -
basically VERY VERY VERY thick slabs of concrete that won't crack under the weight of a massive fully loaded freight truck; a crane; and a side section of railway line seperate from but connected to the main railway line -
which allow sea containers to be lifted off a truck and put directly onto a train without any need for manual handling or unpacking.
This means that you can use a truck for local transport (farm to train station; iron ore mine to train station), but a train for long distance transport (train station to city; or train station to international sea port)
One of the main barriers to using trains is the need to unpack trucks and repack onto the train - intermodal terminals get around this.
They're not cheap - $1 million to $2 million Australian each - but they pay for themselves quite quickly through
- reduced freight costs
- reduced carbon emissions
- reduced road maintenance costs (heavy freight trucks are hell on the wear-and-tear on roads compared to small passenger vehicles)
- reduced truck accidents (healthcare costs, long term disability costs)
I'm no longer working for this Dept, but I'd LOVE to see more of these built worldwide. They're such a good investment into economic benefits, social benefits, and environmental benefits.
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basically VERY VERY VERY thick slabs of concrete that won't crack under the weight of a massive fully loaded freight truck; a crane; and a side section of railway line seperate from but connected to the main railway line -
which allow sea containers to be lifted off a truck and put directly onto a train without any need for manual handling or unpacking.
This means that you can use a truck for local transport (farm to train station; iron ore mine to train station), but a train for long distance transport (train station to city; or train station to international sea port)
One of the main barriers to using trains is the need to unpack trucks and repack onto the train - intermodal terminals get around this.
They're not cheap - $1 million to $2 million Australian each - but they pay for themselves quite quickly through
- reduced freight costs
- reduced carbon emissions
- reduced road maintenance costs (heavy freight trucks are hell on the wear-and-tear on roads compared to small passenger vehicles)
- reduced truck accidents (healthcare costs, long term disability costs)
I'm no longer working for this Dept, but I'd LOVE to see more of these built worldwide. They're such a good investment into economic benefits, social benefits, and environmental benefits.