Analysis of modal shift potential towards intermodal transportation in short-distance inland container transport

This study investigated modal shift potential in short-distance inland container transport by considering behavioral aspects of inland container transportation mode choice using the stated choice experiment technique. This was applied to one short-distance inland container transportation corridor in Turkey between Denizli region and the seaports of Izmir. The stated choice experiment in this study included two alternatives, intermodal-rail and road transport, as they are the two inland transportation modes available in this transport corridor. These transportation modes were described by five attributes: transportation cost, transit time, delay percentage, frequency and free time. Estimation results show that all five attributes are statistically significant, however, transit time is only statistically significant in the estimations of mixed logit models with random transit time coefficient indicating the preference heterogeneity of the respondents towards the transit time. The elasticities indicate that the transportation cost attribute has the biggest impact on mode choice and the modal shift is more sensitive to the road transport costs than the transportation cost of intermodal rail. The simulations showed that the most effective policy for modal shift towards intermodal rail in the investigated corridor is doubling the train frequency and reducing transit time 50% depending on the increased frequency. The outcomes and methodological approach of the study can provide a framework for developing effective modal shift policies to reduce the high road dependency of inland container transportation in Turkey and other countries. The case-specific approach can also help to identify modal shift policies and practices tailored to the characteristics of applied transportation corridors.