Overview
In order to promote intermodal transport as a step towards sustainability, the need for research on decision-making processes - in terms of the decision criteria and the actors involved - has been identified.
LOGIQ aimed to identify actors in the decision-making process on the use of intermodal transport, and to provide information on criteria and constraints employed by them. Three key variables to be considered were the infrastructure networks, quality factors, and the institutional and legal environment.
The main objectives of LOGIQ have been:
- to identify the variables determining the decision-making process and to analyse the decision-making process on an empirical basis;
- to establish a Decision Process Model for possible computer application;
- to study the sector of chemical products and the Rhine traffic corridor.
Funding
Results
LOGIQ has produced:
- a categorisation of prominent factors defining the intermodal environment and influencing the decision-making process;
- a comprehensive field survey - comprising 92 interviews among stakeholders in intermodal transport, i.e. forwarders, shippers and shipping lines, - identifying the most important factors in the decision-making process;
- a mathematical Decision Process Model of the decision-making process based on findings from the field survey; this software tool provides the user with all relevant information related to planning, investment, organisation and service provision in intermodal transport;
- a sectoral case study on intermodal shipments of chemical products taking into account technical, organisational and environmental regulations, designed to validate the project's choice of influencing factors in the decision-making process;
- a geographical case study on the river Rhine corridor - viewed as a strategic part of a Trans-European Network - focusing on (already) established rail/barge transport chains, identifying costs, transit time and reliability as the driving factors.
Policy implications
The LOGIQ project has developed a new analytical tool that will help the three major groups of decision-makers to effectively assess and utilise the opportunities of intermodal transport. However, policy initiatives should also promote intermodal transport - by focusing on easing cost (pricing) issues, and by addressing quality aspects such as technical, operational and organisational factors.
