Home News NMU-Joint Modul “Intermodal Freight Transport” started

NMU-Joint Modul “Intermodal Freight Transport” started

Written by Gesine Stück  |  Friday, 18 September 2009  |  Attention: open in a new window. PDFPrint

The “Intermodal Freight Transport” (IFT) module has started as full scale test (7,5 ECTS). lt is delivered during September and October at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. This module was developed in cooperation with Jacobs University Bremen within the frame of the INTERREG IVB-project Northern Maritime University.


The IFT module, consisting of five module elements, each module element comprises of 1.5 ECTS, deals with intermodal door to door transport involving water transport as one of the modes. Most attention will be paid to the sea-inland intermodal combinations, but other combinations will be covered as well. The module focuses on strategic and operational aspects of intermodal transports in a cross disciplinary approach, mainly from the actors’ and the systems’ perspectives. Actors in this context are all important organisations involved in the door to door transport chains.


The module contains one module element of e-learning (Module Element 2) delivered by Jacobs University Bremen and it is used as an elective course in the MSc programme "Logistics and Transport Management" at the University of Gothenburg.


The audience is composed of varied disciplines:

  • 10 MSc students from our own programme
  • 2 MSc students from Chalmers University of Technology
  • 4 PhD students in logistics and transport management
  • 1 PhD student in economic history
  • 2 participants from industry (aiming for university credits), one from Norway and one from Sweden.

 

The Module Elements (ME) in detail:

ME one: Introduction to intermodal transport

  • Reasons for intermodal transports from Governments’, shippers’ and carriers’ perspectives
  • Intermodal freight markets and their characteristics
  • The logistics properties of international supply chains
  • Shippers’ need for transport quality
  • The role of intermodal transports in national and supra national transport policy
  • Organisations such as shipping lines, other vessel operators, railway companies, road carriers, ports, inland terminals and intermodal transport  coordinators and their roles in intermodal transport systems

 

ME two: Intermodal transport technologies (in e-learning)

Equipment

  • Load units with emphasis on containers and trailers

  • Modularisation below load unit level for optimal utilisation of capacity

  • Handling equipment for sea-land combinations

  • Road and railway vehicles

  • Sea vessels and vessels for inland water-ways

  • Problems of interoperability

  • Information systems and IT for intermodal transport


Intermodal transport infrastructure

  • Roads and railway tracks and their limitations
  • Sea ports and inland ports
  • Other terminals in intermodal transport systems
  • Maritime corridors


Intermodal combinations – examples

  • Road-rail combinations
  • Road-sea and rail-sea combinations
  • Combinations involving inland waterways
  • Land-air combinations


ME three: Analytical frameworks for strategic intermodal system design

  • Cost structures of intermodal transport system components
  • The importance of scale economies and resource utilisation in intermodal transportation
  • Analyses of freight demand and customers’ transport quality needs as a vantage point for intermodal system design
  • Principles and methodology for competitive intermodal system design: Balancing cost efficiency, quality effectiveness and environmental efficiency.
  • Analytical methods and softwares for intermodal transport system evaluation in cost, quality and environmental terms


ME four: Intermodal system management

  • Quality performance and environmental impacts of intermodal transports compared with competing modes
  • Vertical inter-organisational collaboration in marketing and transport production along the transport chain
  • Horizontal collaboration for the consolidation of goods volumes. New initiatives
  • Pricing, payment flows and contracting in intermodal transport chains


ME five: Intermodal legal and security frameworks

  • Transport law and legal problems of intermodality
  • Intermodal transport documentation
  • Security and safety aspects of intermodality
  • Risk and insurance related to intermodality