WTI

Research in Support of Container/Trailer on Flatcar in Intermodal Service on Montana's Railway Mainlines

Primary Investigator Contact Information

External Project Contact(s)

Report(s)

1. Container/Trailer on Flatcar in Intermodal Serivce on Montana's Railway Mainlines
   1. Prime Focus LLC, Western Transportation Instititute
   2. 4W1926_Final_Report.pdf

Project Objective

Document the demand for intermodal shipping service in Montana, and recommend incentives that could be used to encourage rail companies to create such a service to help Montana agriculture and industry to compete in the world marketplace.

Project Abstract

Intermodal shipping, the practice of moving freight by trailer or container through multiple modes of transportation (e.g. train, truck, ship) without having to handle the freight when changing modes, has become a standard means of transporting goods across the country and the world. A surge in international trade since 2004 has created strong demand for containerized rail transportation, and absorbed much of the unused or underutilized rail network capacity, but most of that traffic bypasses Montana. Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) offers intermodal trailer service to Billings, the only Montana terminal offering intermodal offloading. But no outbound freight is loaded onto the trains. And because Billings is on a coal route of the BNSF, access to track and terminal is limited. This project aims to develop a program that can successfully take empty equipment moving through the state and reload it with products that originate within the region. To make such a program attractive to rail carriers, a terminal must accommodate the rapid handling of locomotive power and crew changes. The feasibility of building a terminal, or modifying an existing terminal, to meet that requirement will depend on local demand. As such, WTI researchers, working with Prime Focus, LLC, the primary contractor for this project, will identify potential users of “container on flatcar/trailer on flatcar” (COFC/TOFC) service to assess demand, survey rail and trucking firms to develop shipper cost models for comparison purposes, and contact equipment (container) owners to determine their interest in loading their empty containers with Montana goods.

Task Descriptions

1. Planning/Kick-off Meeting
   1. Meet with Prime Focus, LLC to develop a full work plan. WTI will help Prime Focus, LLC, prepare a presentation on this work plan to be delivered to MDT in Helena at a project kickoff meeting.
2. Identify Potential Montana Users of COFC/TOFC
   1. Contact public and private economic development agencies and other organizations across the state to identify commodity flows/companies that could benefit from COFC/TOFC service.
3. Estimate Commodity Flows and Impacts
   1. Working with Prime Focus, LLC, WTI will interview companies identified in Task 2 to determine the type, volume and value of the commodities that could be affected by the use of COFC/TOFC service.
4. Determine Current Trucking Costs
   1. Based on the results of Task 3, Prime Focus, LLC will estimate the current cost of moving commodities by truck that could instead be moved by COFC/TOFC.
5. Identify Current COFC/TOFC Flows in Montana
   1. Any information WTI incidentally collects on current COFC/TOFC flows in Montana through the previous tasks will be transmitted to Prime Focus, LLC. WTI will also provide limited “on-the-ground” data collection services as required by Prime Focus, LLC, to complete this task.
6. Cost/Benefit Analysis from Rail Point of View
   1. Review cost/benefit analysis performed by Prime Focus, LLC, and subcontractor RMACK, LLC.
7. Recommend COFC/TOFC Strategies for Montana
   1. WTI will review and provide input on the COFC/TOFC strategies developed by Prime Focus, LLC, and RMACK, LLC.
8. Final Report and Presentation
   1. WTI will prepare text documenting the work it directly performed on the project and contribute to assembling and editing the entire document. WTI will also assist in preparing and delivering the final presentation.

Milestones, Dates, Schedule

Student Involvement

True

Relationship to Other Research Projects

False

Technology Transfer Activities

True

Transportation Research Board Keywords

intermodal, freight, containers

Partners

Prime Focus, LLC (prime contractor to MDT), Montana Department of Transportation