Environmental, financial, and accessibility analysis of low-density high-value goods shipment

Abstract

In recent decades finished and semi-finished commodities are the most common and fastest-growing cargo categories for transportation in Europe. These commodities usually have low density and are of high value. This paper aims to assess the CO 2 emissions, cost, and availability of road, rail, and railroad intermodal transportation used to deliver LDHV goods in a case study involving chemical goods transportation throughout the EU27 countries in 2020. The findings indicated that most chemical goods were transported via road, which emits more CO 2 than a railway. Furthermore, road transport cost is significantly higher than rail. In order to reduce CO 2 emissions and costs, four railroad intermodal scenarios were suggested. According to the analysis, these scenarios for delivering LDHV goods may be feasible to mitigate environmental concerns while also significantly lowering costs. Additionally, the availability and accessibility of intermodal terminals for shipping LDHV goods were analyzed to evaluate these scenarios.