Regional Intermodal Freight Transport Flows and Projections

Abstract

This study examined intermodal transport in the Province of New Brunswick in Canada’s Maritime Provinces. In 1998, the Policy Branch of the New Brunswick Department of Transportation commissioned the University of New Brunswick’s Transportation Group to conduct a study of intermodal freight transport in New Brunswick. The objective was to evaluate intermodal movements and provide the first provincial database on intermodal traffic, consisting of (a) traffic flowing through the province without an intermediate stop, (b) movements entirely within the province, and (c) movements with either a destination or an origin in the province. Data were collected from rail, truck, air, and marine centers. Transborder (between the United States and Canada) traffic was monitored, and a survey was conducted of shippers using either intermodal transport or potential users of the service. Issues that carriers and shippers had with existing intermodal services were solicited and evaluated. Growth trends for intermodal transport in the study area were developed using a most likely scenario. In developing the growth trends, the potential effects of recent and current events on growth were evaluated.