The whole world has been opened up by the expansion of transport networks including ports and shipping, railways and modern highways, so that it is now commonplace for produce from one part of the world to make its way to a market on the other side of the globe. The widespread use of containers for shipping goods has allowed for the development of a huge intermodal freight transport network that we have all come to rely on. While this has increased the variety of goods available to everyone it has also significantly added to transport costs and the amount of energy that it now takes to bring goods to the consumer who wants to buy them. The American transport networks are the busiest in the world and US railways alone carry more cargo than all of Western Europe’s network combined. In fact two-thirds of all of the oil that is used in the US is consumed within the transport sector while container and bulk cargo ships make up almost 3% of the world’s entire carbon footprint. With rising operational costs, dwindling fuel reserves and the introduction of carbon taxes in many countries, transport companies have been developing more sustainable operational…
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Railroads and ships work well together in providing efficient, economical means for moving goods. Railroads are the cheapest form for overland transport, while ships are the most cost effective means for transporting goods overseas. For this reason, the growing volume of global trade has prompted many countries into building new ports and expanding old ones while also undertaking the task of constructing railroad lines to service the ports. Australia is building a new deep water port along its west coast to facilitate development of its mineral resources. The Okajee Port and Rail project will haul coal, iron ore, and other bulk materials in vast quantities from the Australian interior to the coast. The material will then be loaded onto bulk carriers destined for Japan, China, and other growing regional economies anxious for the material. The Mitsubishi Corporation is the lead contractor for the project, reflecting how closely this project is tied into the Japanese economy as a whole. A new rail project in Los Angeles is designed to ease up the congestion caused by thousands of trucks lining up to load and unload their containers at the Port of Los Angeles – Long Beach complex. The rail line will eliminate…
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As the global economy becomes more integrated, it is becoming increasingly important for businesses to consider the manner in which they ship their goods and services. All forms of transport are growing in volume world wide. Transit by ship and by air is growing quickly while moving goods by rail and by truck is experiencing a similarly rapid increase. The internet is just one more tool that aids the process of shipping products from suppliers to customers. The internet tends to speed up all forms of shipping by enhancing the links between production and consumption. Orders can be more specific and more quickly processed. Goods can be tracked more closely. Delays can be identified more readily, and corrected more rapidly. Production can be keyed to demand in rapid fashion. Billing can be done instantaneously. All forms of shipping have been aided by the internet. The overwhelming bulk of international trade is carried on ships, and while computers and the internet have certainly helped efficiency here, of even greater importance has been the development of container technology. Containers eliminate the need for a crew of dockworkers to laboriously unload cargo. Cranes now quickly transfer them from ship to truck or rail…
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