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原文传递 Integrating Underground Freight Transportation into Existing Intermodal Systems

题名：	Integrating Underground Freight Transportation into Existing Intermodal Systems
作者：	Najafi, M.; Ardekani, S.; Shahandashti, S. M.
关键词：	Freight transportation##Underground transportation systems##Intermodal Rail-Truck Transport System##Underground pipelines##Tunneling##Linear induction motors##Construction methods##Cost benefit analysis##TxDOT(Texas Department of Transportation)##
摘要：	The Texas transportation system is critical to the United States economy. According to a report prepared for TxDOT, NAFTA tonnage on Texas highways and railroads is expected to increase by nearly 207 percent from 2003 to 2030. Truck tonnage will grow by 251 percent while rail tonnage is forecasted to increase 118 percent. The number of trucks carrying NAFTA goods will increase by 263 percent and the number of rail units will grow by 195 percent. This will have a profound impact on the Texas highway and rail systems. Additionally, larger ships will arrive in the Port of Houston due to Panama Canal expansion. Therefore, increasing the capacity of the freight transportation system in Texas is a must, but increased land development and population growth make the possibility of building new roads, widening existing roads, and building new railroad tracks very difficult if not impossible. Underground freight transportation (UFT) is a class of automated transportation systems in which vehicles carry freight through pipelines and tunnels between terminals Being able to use a part of the underground space of the existing highways, will greatly facilitate the construction of such pipelines and tunnels and reduce their construction costs. By considering planning and design, construction methods, cost analysis, environmental impacts, financing means, and the stakeholder committee input, this project examines the use of UFT in three proposed routes in Texas, specifically, the Port of Houston to City of Lancaster (near Dallas), Port of Houston to a distribution center within 15 miles of the Port’s point of origin, and the border crossing with Mexico in Laredo. This project has shown that underground freight transportation is financially viable, feasible, greener, cost-effective, and can become an important part of intermodal freight mobility in Texas.
总页数：	263
报告类型：	科技报告