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This study examines the potential for reduced risks in roundwood transport by rail. The study quantifies seasonal variation and system risks under boreal conditions, as well as practical routines for managerial response to these. The study case is based on an integrated forest company with 11 supply terminals supplying coastal mills in mid-Sweden. The terminals were distributed from south to north Sweden, with six core terminals located in the interior- and mid-supply zones for coastal mills. The monthly flows ranged from 75 to 118% of the annual average and the monthly variability of terminal inflows was 67% higher for the interior than the mid-zone terminals. Comparing inflows between assortments, the lowest variability was for coniferous pulpwood (8%) and pine sawlogs (18%), increasing thereafter to deciduous pulpwood (28%) and spruce sawlogs (53%). Regarding rail system disturbances, the frequency of deviations from scheduled routes for the core terminals was 16–17%, resulting in canceled routes for 53–65% of deviations. Two mitigation scenarios were tested to reduce supply risks (scenario 1) and a combination of supply and system risks (scenario 2). These risk mitigation scenarios had only marginal effects on system costs (< 1%). The optimal solutions, however, involved a 4–5% reduction of truck transport output (m3km per period) and 7–8% increase in rail output. From the perspective of rail operations, interviews with service buyers and providers showed that the mitigation scenarios were fully feasible on an annual planning horizon. Further options are provided for quarterly, monthly, and weekly horizons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A multi-purpose cargo terminal in a seaport contains necessary infrastructure to handle different types of cargo, such as container, dry bulk, general bulk, and Ro-Ro. Since such terminals generally have dedicated areas and equipment for different types of cargo, berth, and yard operations for each type of cargo can be considered separate. On the other hand, trucks that carry all types of cargo use the same gate structure to enter and leave the terminal. Therefore, a method to superimpose the traffic that is caused by different types of cargo is needed for the planning of gate investments and operations. Consequently, this paper has developed a simulation model for a multi-purpose terminal to estimate the gate traffic and determine the necessary gate infrastructure, so that it can be used as a decision support tool for terminal planners and operational managers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on port supply chain integration to strengthen operational and business performance. We provide a structured and comprehensive method to enable port supply chain integration and demonstrate its applicability to the biofuel supply chain. We define the value proposition, role, activities, resources, and characteristics that a port needs to integrate in the biofuel supply chain and incorporate them in an ‘integration matrix’. Port authorities can achieve integration in the biofuel supply chain by extending their role and (1) facilitating flows, (2) attracting new flows, (3) executing value-adding activities, (4) developing a bio-industry cluster, and (5) acting as a knowledge center. A roundtable and two single case studies on the Port of Rotterdam and the northern Dutch port cluster have validated the content and applicability of our findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article looks at airports from the passengers' perspectives. It shows that international airports are, above all, spaces of highly explicit expressions of several authorities. The article first distinguishes between airline and airport geographies, followed by a conceptual analysis of authority, power and airports. Then, the article describes the several airport authorities and their responsibilities, spelling out their control of the physical elements of airport terminals, with special attention to signage. This is followed by discussions of airport terminal operations and resulting passenger flows, once again focusing on the role of multiple authorities. These discussions lead, finally, to expositions of travelers' socialities while at international airport terminals and under an authoritarian regime, focusing on passengers' disembodying and dialectics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intermodality has become a major goal in modern transport policy. The improvement of combined transport within the European Union includes the refinement of freight terminal services. A freight terminal is a nodal place where goods are transhipped between any two or more transport modes. In this paper we describe and analyse the freight terminal market with the help of Porter's model of five competitive forces. The central question is: who are the stakeholders in the terminal market? We will particularly address the critical decision factors faced by terminal operators in terms of strategic importance, location and network configuration of freight terminals by employing Porter's competitive focus. First, the industry competitors in the freight terminal market will be analysed. Second, the buyers of the freight terminal services will be described, followed by the suppliers of the terminal infrastructure. Other competitive forces are the potential entrants into the terminal market and the substitutes for the use of freight terminals. An additional competitive force is added to our conceptual model in the form of the terminal environment. After the outline of this analytical framework of the freight terminal market, it is possible to identify where the economic power is located in the terminal market and how the positions of the different players in the market can be enhanced. The analysis will further address (de)regulation competences for different governmental levels involved in terminal activities. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The market share of trucks in European freight transport is still growing. Avoiding road congestion and other environmental reasons makes a modal shift towards barge, train and pipes necessary. This shift entails much more than the substitution of truck kilometres by train or ship kilometres. First, trains and ships do not usually provide door‐to‐door transport services. A transhipment of freight is necessary to create intermodal logistic chains. Second, transhipment usually entails high costs and loss of time. There are, however, encouraging developments: strategically located multimodal terminals can efficiently tranship freight from one mode to another, operating 24 h a day. This transhipment can be implemented in an automated, robotized manner. Such technological innovations provide terminals with a promising future. Third, freight flows may be too thin to guarantee a satisfactory loading efficiency. The solution can be found by rearranging logistic chains to bundle freight and achieve thicker freight flows. This contribution describes — from a Dutch perspective — current problems of multi‐modality in European freight transport and some promising developments concerning terminals and networks. A technological and organizational breakthrough towards multimodality in freight transport is anticipated. This implies a change in the spatial configuration of freight flows and multimodal terminals along with the optimal choice of a combination of modes. This paper indicates an optimalization problem on a European scale, aiming at the minimization of private costs and a reduction of environmental costs. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]