INTERMODAL: INcreasing Transportation Efficiency and Resiliency through MODeling Assets and Logistics
SPONSOR: ARPA-E
BY: Northwestern University Transportation Center and Vanderbilt
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATORS: Hani S. Mahmassani, Pablo Durango-Cohen, Craig Phillip (Vanderbilt), Hiba Baroud (Vanderbilt), Ahmad Taha (Vanderbilt), Paul Johnson (Vanderbilt)
The Northwestern University Transportation Center (NUTC) was competitively selected for a $2.2 million INTERMODAL grant by the Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-E) of the U.S. Department of Energy. Led by Hani Mahmassani and Pablo Durango-Cohen, in collaboration with Craig Philip (Vanderbilt University), the project aims to reimagine the nation's multi-modal freight transportation system with the objective to improve its performance in terms of economic and service measures, and importantly, to reduce its environmental impact by enabling a transition to new energy technologies.
The team will develop an online, open-source platform that would support the roll out of alternative refueling/charging infrastructure investments across the freight network and offer logistics routing for individual shipments. Northwestern University’s platform will pinpoint opportunities for efficiency gains and decarbonization at transloading terminals, which play a crucial role in determining the feasibility and efficiency of intermodal transit. A strong selling point of the team's work is the engagement of key industry stakeholders, including the Port of Los Angeles and several major rail, trucking, and maritime carriers through the partnerships established through the NUTC Business Advisory Council.
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