Question

Think about the Transportation System "Each transportation mode has key Operational and commercial advantage and properties. However, contemporary demand is influenced by integrated transportation systems that require maximum flexibility." So a system may have many different modes of transportation.

Question: Before you brief me on systems, brief me on transportation modes. what is the sweet spot in terms of cost and distance for each mode of transportation.

Answer 1

Transport modes are the means by which passengers and freight achieve mobility.

There are five general modes of transportation:

1. Rail- Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail track, known as a railway. Train can be powered by cables, gravity, and gas. Railed vehicles move with much less friction than rubber tires on roads, making trains more energy efficient.
2. Land- Transport covers all land based transportation systems that provide for the movement of people, goods and services. Land transport plays a vital role in linking communities to each other.
3. Water- Water transport is the process of transport that a watercraft, such as a boat or ship makes over a body of water, such as a sea, ocean.
4. Air- A winged aircraft, like airplane, is a vehicle, in which the special geometry of the wing generates lift. It comes in various sizes. For short distances or in places without runways, helicopters can be practical^. Air transport is the fastest method of transport.
5. Pipeline - Pipeline transport sends goods through a pipe, most commonly liquid and gases are sent. Short distance systems exist for sewage while long-distance networks are used for petroleum and natural gas.

There are many other modes of transport including space or cable transport but the ones described above are the main ones.

Now, Transport costs come as fixed and variable costs, depending on a variety of conditions related to geography, infrastructure, administrative barriers, energy, and on how passengers and freight are carried. Three major components that influence the costs are related to transactions, shipments and the friction of distance, impact on transport costs.

Talking about each mode individually,

By Road/ land transport, a rational consumer can never cover more than 500-600 kms by road. The cost incurred by this mode is generally neutral. Not very high, not very low.

By Rail transport, you can cover long distances but cannot cross oceans. The cost incurred by this mode is low. This won’t cost you much.

By Air transport, being the fastest mode, it costs very high and can cover very large distances.

By Water transport, long distances can be covered but it takes months to cover a distance which an airplane can cover in a day or two.

Talking about the general transportation systems,

Transportation system is used to refer to the logistics of transporting passengers and goods. It covers movement by all forms of transport, from cars and buses to boats, aircraft and even space travel. Transportation systems are being involved in every small activity nowadays.

The purpose of a transportation system is to coordinate the movement of people, goods and vehicles in order to utilize routes most efficiently. Transportation systems are intended to reduce transport costs as well.

A standard transportation system will usually inherit multiple timetables in order to give the passengers great flexibility. Nowadays, it is important for our economies that we have flexible transportation systems. This is a need and our transportation systems are getting improved day by day in terms of flexibility.