Abstract Manager

In order to meet their climate change and emissions targets, public agencies are looking for ways to reduce emissions and the energy intensity of freight transportation, which is one of the largest sources of GHG emissions worldwide. The recently released US National Blueprint for Transportation Decarbonization identifies freight modal shift, or shifting goods from truck to rail and marine, as one of the key approaches to reducing overall freight emissions. Other governments are also exploring opportunities to influence freight modal shift, and HDR is at the forefront of this work. We are currently working for the province of British Columbia to understand how much freight modal shift would be needed to achieve a 10% reduction in freight emissions by 2030, and the actions that the province can take to incite this shift.

Freight shippers consider many different aspects when deciding how to ship their cargo, including cost, time, and convenience. Modal choice is also influenced by external factors, such as the location,  availability, and capacity of intermodal infrastructure. The concept of modal shift involves considering how these modal choice decisions can be influenced to increase the overall efficiency of the system (in terms of capacity, performance, sustainability, etc.) and/or overall public benefit (economic development, safety, livability, etc.)

Our freight planning teams in Canada and the US have worked on a range of projects and initiatives to increase the attractiveness and viability of moving goods by rail and marine. Through this work our team has reviewed and summarized best practices in freight modal choice selection, and developed a freight modal shift toolkit with a range of strategies and actions that organizations can take to influence how freight is transported. These include policies, infrastructure improvements, funding programs, and operating tactics.

With climate change mitigation and more sustainable freight solutions being sought across the world, improving how freight is transported is one option that jurisdictions have to managing freight movements and shaping them in a way that benefits the economy, environment, and their communities. This presentation will cover the basics of freight modal choice and present our modal shift toolkit. It will help attendees understand the influencing factors that go into modal choice decisions by shippers, and how public agencies can support modal shift through a range of measures and strategies.