Intermodal Issues in Transport Planning H
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64 consistent growth and in percentage of total cargo car suggested, although this may not be immediately nec ried, intermodal operations now transport a major por essary. Considerable analysis has been completed in tion of this business. the past 5 years, but much of this information has not been communicated or fully evaluated. Unfortunately, RAIL TRANSPORT intermodalism has been discussed with people in planning positions and with operating authority who have been un The rail picture is something else again. P iggyback has willing to consider the fundamental changes required of been around for quite some time now, and many have their businesses. looked to it as a way of maintaining railroad participa Agents of change for an entrenched institution often tion in the merchandise traffic business. Progress, have to come from the outside. Consider, for example, however, has been less than exciting. As can be seen the innovation of Malcolm McLean of Sea Land. His from Figure 2, rail and truck intermodal has grown only plans for marine containerization certainly were not ac - modestly. Disregarding the major slump in 1975, which cepted by the traditional steamship operator, but ulti returned piggyback carload volume to its 1967 level, the mately they turned the business upside down . growth from 1966 to 1974 is only about 3 percent per The members of the Intermodal Transport Committee year. And in terms of the total rail market, tonnage has must look beyond traditional statements and solutions if been between 3 and 4 percent. Yet, in its defense, in the issues are to be identified and resolved. The bar terms of megagram kilometers this percentage would be riers and problems that have prevented intermodal op closer to 4 percent. As a proportion of freight revenue, erations from achieving their potential must be over piggyback might run as high as 9 percent. And, if pres come. ent piggyback service volume were to be compared with the domestic containerizable freight market, the figure REFERENCE might be 5 percent. In fact in some individual origin and destination markets it might even be as high as 30 1. R. E. Redding. Wanted: More Vitality for Inter percenco . .1::mc,..-.. I cuI quuceI an eauuna.1o' I ' .. in• ........,1rarnc ,.,., 'l'..,.Tvvurm .. 1 \1//~ \ modality. Traffic Worid, Vol. 168, No. 3, Oct. 18, a few months ago, "the possible maximizing of efficiency 1976. of freight markets that shippers for years have envisioned in their dreams about intermodalism is still far from being realized." Publication of this paper sponsored by Committee on lntermoda/ Freight What is holding things back? More study has been Transport. Intermodal Issues in Transport Planning H. M. Romoff, Canadian Pacific Ltd., Montreal Economic and institutional aspects of intermodalism are discussed from HISTORICAL BACKGROUND the viewpoint of a fully integrated Canadian multimodal transport owner and operator. The development of Canadian Pacific Ltd. into the world's Canadian Pacific Ltd., now called CP Rail, began as a only fully intermodal transport enterprise and the Canadian institutional and regulatory environment in which it operates are described. Inter railway but from the outset had a very strong intermodal modal ownership has not been destructive to transportation competition bias. The main line of the railway across Canada was in Canada, and intermodal ownership was of considerable importance in completed in 1886 and was the first transcontinental line the early achievement of intermodal handling of traffic there. The or in Canada. It had something over $1 billion in total rev ganization of an intermodal transport enterprise is discussed, the most enues in 1976, and was profitable, but only marginally, workable format apparently being a fairly loosely structured company with a return on invested capital of slightly more than 6 with all modes represented by self-standing profit centers that operate percent, after taxes. This may not look bad compared and market independently. Corporate management only sets overall policies and guidelines, allocates capital and personnel, and sorts out seri· with some other railways, but it certainly does not look ous conflicts. This type of organization, with all its inherent conflicts, good compared with most other businesses. is to be preferred with a tightly structured and highly centralized sys- In the year the railway was completed, CP began tem. Neither intermodalism nor multimodal ownership offers easy an· chartering ships on the Pacific Ocean to connect with the swers to the very serious problems facing the investor-owned transport railway. In fact, within three weeks of commencing industry. transcontinental operations, a chartered ship was un loading 45 000 kg of tea at Vancouver for rail delivery in eastern North America. Intermodalism is almost as This paper is about economic and institutional issues old as the railway itself. from the viewpoint of the private sector, specifically of Then came the acquisition of an interest in shipping a fully integrated multimodal Canadian transport owner in the Atlantic to connect with the eastern terminal of the and operator. I emphasize Canadian because, although railway. Before the end of the last century, CP offered the countries are close geographically and similar in an integrated through service between Western Europe many ways, one must also recognize the many differences. and the Orient. Over the years, the company's ocean shipping interests developed in their own right, reflected changes in trade patterns and technology, and adapted to 65 the consequences of two wars that each wiped out most CANADIAN CONTEXT of the fleet. Today, CP is represented in this field by two wholly owned subsidiaries-CF Ships, which operates As background, a few words about the Canadian context a fully containerized service between Quebec City and in which we operate might be helpful, as this may be the U. K. and the Continent, and CP Bermuda, which was somewhat unfamiliar to many readers and is important formed in 1964 to engage in all aspects of international to understanding more substantive comments. shipping. CP Bermuda today has a fleet of some 27 ves Until 1967, there were no restrictions on intermodal sels of about 2 million Mg operated under various types ownership in transportation in Canada. The only re of charter and freight arrangements. strictions were the standard antitrust restrictions, and The company's involvement in the trucking industry Canada compared to the United States has had a tra really began while the railway was being built, in 1884, dition of some tolerance in this area. Since 1967, there when it purchased an express company, which later has been a legislative provision for review of acquisitions became CP Express. From its beginning as a stage of one transport entity by another. Such acquisitions may coach, this operation developed into an integrated local be disallowed on the grounds that they "will unduly re trucking and intercity rail, small shipment service. strict competition or otherwise be prejudicial to the pub Our involvement in intercity trucking began immediately lic interest." This has not significantly affected CP 's after World War II, when it became clear that this mode development, because almost all our transportation ac would become a major part of the domestic transportation quisitions predated the provision. scene. The development in Canada of intercity trucking In general, the regulatory framework in transportation lagged behind U.S. development, because of lower popu within Canada has historically been much less burdensome lation density, longer lengths of haul, and the later de than that here. There are no federal regulations velopment of adequate highways. on the intercity trucking industry, only provincial regu Beginning in 1946, CP engaged in a series of acquisi lation. There is a generally more permissive attitude tions that, coupled with growth from within, have made toward railway pricing than in the United States, CP today, with the various subsidiary companies, the since the 1967 transportation legislation, which very largest intercity trucker in Canada. With a market share much limited the scope for price regulation. There are of something under 10 percent, it is one of the largest no economic regulations on international shipping in Can in North America. ada. One important regulatory provision, however, that In 1919, CP obtained statutory authority to own and applies particularly to railroads, is that the same tariffs operate aircraft within and outside Canada. If nothing be applied to subsidiary or associated companies as are else, CP was long on foresight. From 1939, a series to third parties. of acquisitions of small regional airlines, mostly bush Finally, CP is a shareholder-owned company, listed lines operating north to south, were made and resulted on the major stock exchanges, which operates in parallel in the formation in 1942 of Canadian Pacific Airlines Ltd., and in competition with Crown Corporations owned by the now called CP Air. From these beginnings, CP Air has federal government of Canada. The Canadian National evolved into a major domestic and international air car Railways (CN), which is federally owned and some 50 rier. percent larger than CP Rail, has lagged far behind CP The only major sector of the transportation industry in intermodal development. Over the past 10 to 15 years, in which CP has no operating involvement at present is CN has developed a major trucking subsidiary, largely the pipeline sector. Our involvement in pipelining is by acquisition, and has more recently purchased a major limited to a research program in the field of solids pipe interest in a North Atlantic container shipping operation. lining and to a significant share ownership position in But CN has very much less intermodal diversification TransCanada PipeLines, the major west-east trunk gas than CP. Air Canada is nominally owned by CN but is pipeline in Canada. really an independent government-owned airline.