Traditional product features such as price, quality and supply service have been extended and nowadays includes environmental aspects as well. It raises new and increasing demands on haulier companies. The transport sector is responsible for a large part of the pollutants causing today’s environmental problems. The business is being closely monitored and to operate environmental friendly is seen as one of the most important elements for the industry’s future development. Haulier companies must not only meet the restrictions of the government, but also respond to the customers’ demands on environmental performance. The aim of the study is to review the environmental demands of PNLs present customers and what they think their demands will look like in three years time. The scope of the survey is two-fold. The study will partly review if the changing environmental aspects can impact on supply service and price; and partly investigate the importance of an environmental certification. To reach the aim of the study qualitative interviews have been carried out with nine of PNLs present customers. The choice of customers has been made to represent an overall picture of PNLs customer portfolio. The study concluded that supply service and price is more important than environmental aspects today. The customers are prone to compromise on delivery time and price to the advantage of the environment. But it can not cost too much or take too long, and there must be a possible choice of transport. There are today no expressed environmental demands on transport, but the conclusion is that it is only a matter of time before they will prevail. The results prove that environmental issues are estimated to be fundamental for hauliers in the future. It is seen as a competitive advantage to be at the leading edge of offering green transportation alternatives. It is considered important today that hauliers pursue environmental issues aggressively. A certification according to ISO or other environmental management systems is considered less important. The results show that environmental management systems and an operative environmental framework will increase in importance in the future when choosing between hauliers.

No description available.

Ce travail de thèse repose sur la combinaison de deux paradigmes de recherche en psychologie cognitive : la rotation mentale et les transferts intermodaux/inter-tâches. Dans notre première étude (Expériences 1a, 1b, 1c, 2a, et 2b), l'objectif était d'évaluer la dépendance/indépendance des traitements visuel et tactile, lors de tâches de rotation mentale : le Test des Rotations Mentales (Vandenberg & Kuse, 1978) et une tâche élémentaire de rotation mentale (Shepard & Metzler, 1971). En utilisant un plan expérimental intra-sujet, nous avons comparé quatre conditions expérimentales incluant des apprentissages intramodaux : 1. Visuel-Visuel ; 2. Tactile-Tactile, et des transferts intermodaux : 3. Visuel-Tactile ; 4. Tactile-Visuel. Les participants ont ainsi réalisé deux tâches successives dans des conditions sensorielles similaires ou différentes (session 1 et session 2). Nos résultats révèlent que la rotation mentale peut dépendre de processus de traitement des représentations spécifiques à la modalité sensorielle utilisée. Les informations découlant d'une expérience visuelle sont réutilisables dans la condition tactile, alors qu'à l'inverse, nous n'avons observé que très peu de transferts tactiles en condition visuelle. Les traitements visuels et tactiles, sur des objets tridimensionnels complexes, permettent ainsi le développement de stratégies d'imagerie mentale spécifiques (Visuel-Visuel-IM vs. Tactile-Spatial-IM), découlant de différents modes de traitements perceptifs (visuel-global vs. tactile-spatial)... / The work presented in this dissertation is based on the combination of two research paradigms in the field of cognitive psychology: mental rotation and intermodal/inter-task transfer of learning. In our first study (Experiments 1a, 1b, 1c, 2a, and 2b), the objective was to evaluate the processing dependence/independence of visual and tactile information during two mental rotation tasks: the Mental Rotation Test (Vandenberg & Kuse, 1978) and an object mental rotation task (Shepard & Metzler, 1971). Using an intra-subject experimental design, we compared four experimental conditions including intramodal learning: 1. Visual-Visual ; 2. Tactile-Tactile, and intermodal transfer: 3. Visual-Tactile ; 4. Tactile-Visual. Subjects performed two successive tasks in similar perceptual conditions or different perceptual conditions (session 1 and session 2). Our results revealed that mental rotation can depend on treatment processes of mental representations specific to the perceptual modality being used. The information derived from visual prior experience can be used in the tactile condition, whereas we observed few significant tactile transfers in the visual condition. Visual and tactile treatments on complex three-dimensional objects thus permit specific mental imagery strategies (Visual-Visual-IM vs. Tactile-Spatial-IM), derived from different perceptual exploration strategies (visual-global vs. tactile-spatial)...

A questão em torno do aquecimento global vem preocupando a sociedade mundial,sendo que os governantes e ambientalistas têm intensificado estudos e aplicações de medidas para tentar minimizar os efeitos das emissões de gases de efeito estufa na atmosfera. O setor de transporte é o segundo maior consumidor de energia, pois é muito dependente de combustíveis fósseis, que emitem quantidade elevada de CO2. O setor sucroenergético é um importante gerador de divisas para o país, sendo que a receita em 2010 foi de R$ 50 bilhões e as exportações alcançaram US$ 13,8 bilhões. O açúcar é um importante produto da pauta agrícola, o país exporta aproximadamente 70% da sua produção. O etanol é um importante gerador de energia, e consegue minimizar as suas emissões durante seu ciclo produtivo em até 90%, quando comparado a gasolina, seu principal concorrente. Dada a importância do transporte nas emissões de gases de efeito estufa e a possibilidade da mudança de modalidade reduzir essas emissões, o objetivo desta tese é estimar os benefícios da redução das emissões de CO2, a partir da mudança da matriz de transporte,para o setor sucroenergético. Para tanto foi utilizada a metodologia de programação linear, utilizando a otimização para a minimização das emissões e do custo de transporte. O softwar eutilizado foi o GAMS e quatro diferentes cenários para ambos os produtos foi traçado. O primeiro e o segundo foi modelado para a safra 2010/2011 e foi considerada a atual malha de transporte, sendo que a diferença entre os dois foi que no primeiro realizou-se a imposição da quantidade máxima de carga utilizando a intermodalidade com base no que foi escoado no ano 2010 e no segundo liberou-se esse volume. O objetivo é captar qual seria a configuração ideal tanto em termos econômicos como ambiental, caso não houvesse problemas estruturais e de infraestrutura para a utilização mais intensa de mais de um modal de transporte. No terceiro e quarto cenário foi utilizada uma estimativa para a safra 2020/2021, sendo que a diferença entre as duas modelagens foi que no terceiro manteve-se a mesma infraestrutura atualmente observada e no último expandiu-se as rotas intermodais passíveis de serem utilizadas considerando todas as obras de transporte apresentadas pela iniciativa privada, governo federal e as inseridas no Plano de Aceleração do Crescimento I e II. Os resultados apontaram um trade-off entre custo e emissão quando se compara os resultados da minimização das emissões e da minimização dos custos no mesmo cenário. No entanto, quando se confronta os resultados obtidos entre os cenários propostos verifica-se que é possível reduzir tanto os custos quanto as emissões para ambos os produtos. Para a safra 2020/2021, a simples possibilidade de se utilizar mais intensamente modais de transporte diferentes do rodoviário possibilitaria atingir em apenas três anos a redução de 6,6 milhões de toneladas de CO2 e R$ 3,3 bilhões no escoamento do açúcar e etanol. A mitigação através da mudança de modal poderia inserir o setor no mercado de carbono e conquistar mercados preocupados em obter produtos sustentáveis. / Global warming is a major and growing concern around the world, with governments and environmentalists intensifying studies involving measures aimed at minimizing the effects of greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere. Among major sectors, transportation is the second largest energy user and it remains highly dependent on fossil fuels that emit high amounts of CO2. The sugarcane industry is an important source of export revenues for Brazil: while total revenues for 2010 reached US$ 25 billion, about US$ 13.8 billion of that was generated by exports. Sugar is a key agricultural product on the Brazilian export agenda, with about 70% of production shipped to other countries. Ethanol, also produced from sugarcane, is a major ingredient of the countrys energy mix, which can also minimize emissions through its lifecycle by up to 90% compared to gasoline, its main competitor at the pump. Given the importance of transportation in greenhouse gas emissions and the possibility of diversifying transportation systems to achieve emission reductions, the goal of this thesis is to estimate the benefits the sugar-energy industry of reducing CO2 emissions through a diversification of transportation methods utilized by the industry. A methodology that relies on linear programming was used, aimed at optimization in order to minimize emissions and transportation costs. GAMS, a widely used software in linear programming, was utilized to construct four different scenarios for both products. Scenarios one and two covered the 2010/2011 harvest and considered the current transportation network, the difference being that scenario one considered a fixed cargo ceiling and various transport modes while scenario two, the cargo ceiling was eliminated. The idea was to arrive at an ideal configuration in both economic and environmental terms, considering no structural or infrastructure obstacles to more intense utilization of different modes of transport. Scenarios three and four relied on a long-range estimate for the 2020/2021 sugarcane harvest, the main difference between the two models being that model three is based on the same infrastructure that currently exists while model four considers an expansion of possible routes involving various transport modes that could be used, considering all transportation-related projects launched by private contractors and the federal government, including those that are a part of the governments Accelerated Growth Plans I and II, also known as PAC. The results point to a tradeoff between costs and emissions, when the results of minimizing emissions and costs within the same scenario are compared. However, when results between the proposed scenarios are pitted against one another, it can be concluded that it is possible to cut costs as well as emissions for both sugar and ethanol. In the 2020/2021 harvest, the simple possibility of utilizing a variety of road transport modes that dont involve road transportation would allow for a 6.6 million ton reduction in CO2 emissions, with a R$3.3 billion savings in cost of shipping sugar and ethanol. Mitigation through change transportation mode changes could finally insert the industry in carbon markets, while conquering markets where a greater concern with sustainability already exists.

The goal of this thesis is to give an overview of road-rail combined transport in Czech republic and in Europe. On the example of combined transport operator Bohemiakombi s.r.o. will be described how do such operators work and which obstacles they face under Czech and European conditions.

[EN] Since its birth in the fifties, the maritime container has revolutionised freight international transport providing support to a global production system, marked by the industry offshoring looking for competitive advantages and the configuration of increasingly complex and global supply chains. Within this context, the container has gained a great importance becoming a basic logistic element in supply chains where it plays the role of a transport, production and distribution unit. The success of container is evident if we analyse the evolution of container port traffic, which has been growing at a pace of over 10 % surpassing 600 million TEU of traffic since 2012. The container is, therefore, a key element in global supply chains and container logistics is a field of work and study of enormous interest due to its impact in the efficiency of these supply chains, due to the cost incurred for the operating account of shipping companies and operators (cost which is transferred to the final user and has an impact in the price of the goods being transported), and due to the social and environmental cost associated to the externalities of transport derived from the management of the container fleet. Container logistics has to do with the efficient management of the container fleet, minimising the transport, warehousing and maintenance costs, and maximising the use of the equipment. In container logistics it is possible to categorise, generally, two different categories or levels depending on the geographical scope and the transport modes involved: The international level and the local or regional level. This thesis addresses container logistics at a local or regional level, insofar as in relation to the management of stock, transport and internal movements, trying to react and identify solutions to some of the problems currently facing the port-logistics sector. The research result allows, firstly, knowing in an integral and structured manner the complexity of maritime container logistics. Secondly, specific real problems are identified and addressed for its modelling and analysis that allows for contributing to the improvement of the current logistics system. The following specific problems are addressed: -Modal choice problems for the configuration of internal logistics corridors or chains for maritime container transport. -Problems locating networks of nodal infrastructures facilitating the logistics needs of maritime containers. -Problems related to the movements and management of empty maritime containers. The interest and the academic contribution of this thesis lies as much in the definition and modelling of the specific problems with a significant theoretical discussion, as the empirical application to a real environment and real situations. This has been possible due to the direct contact of the author with the port-logistics sector and the participation in many consultancy and research projects in the cluster of the port of Valencia and also at European and international level. The thesis is outlined as a collection of six scientific articles. The articles have been presented in the thesis in such a way as to follow a logical sequence and not in relation with the chronological order of their publication. / [ES] Desde su aparición en los años 50, el contenedor marítimo ha revoluciona-do el transporte internacional de mercancías dando soporte a un sistema global de producción, marcado por la multilocalización de las industrias en busca de ventajas competitivas y la configuración de cadenas de suministro cada vez más complejas y globales. En este contexto, el contenedor ha adquirido un gran protagonismo convirtiéndose en un elemento logístico básico en las cadenas de suministro en las que actúa como unidad de transporte, producción y distribución. El éxito del contenedor queda puesto de manifiesto al analizar la evolución del tráfico portuario de contenedores, que ha estado creciendo a ritmos superiores al 10 %, superando los 600 millones TEU desde 2012. El contenedor es, por tanto, un elemento clave de las cadenas de suministro globales y la logística del contenedor es un área de estudio y trabajo de enorme interés por el impacto que tiene en la eficiencia de dichas cadenas, por el coste que supone a navieras y operadores en sus cuentas de explotación (coste que se traslada al usuario final y repercute en el precio de las mercancías transportadas) y por el coste social y ambiental asociado a las externalidades del transporte derivadas de esta gestión de la flota de contenedores. La logística del contenedor tiene que ver con la gestión eficiente del parque de contenedores, minimizando los costes de transporte, almacenamiento y mantenimiento, y maximizando la utilización del equipo. En la logística del contenedor se pueden identificar, por lo general, dos categorías o niveles diferenciados en función del ámbito geográfico y de los modos de transporte implicados: El nivel internacional y el nivel local o regional. Este trabajo aborda la logística del contenedor a nivel regional o local, es decir, en lo relativo a la gestión del stock, transporte y movimientos interiores, tratando de dar respuesta y plantear soluciones a algunos de los problemas con los que se encuentra el sector logístico-portuario en la actualidad. El resultado de la investigación permite, en primer lugar, conocer de una forma integral y estructurada la complejidad de la logística del contenedor marítimo. En segundo lugar, se identifican y abordan problemas específicos reales para su modelización y análisis, que permiten contribuir a la mejora del sistema logístico actual. En concreto se abordan los siguientes problemas: -Problemas de elección modal en la configuración de las cadenas o corredores logísticos interiores en el transporte de contenedores marítimos. -Problemas de localización o vertebración de una red de infraestructuras nodales para atender las necesidades logísticas de los contenedores marítimos. -Problemas asociados a los movimientos en vacío y gestión de contenedores marítimos. El interés y contribución académica de este trabajo reside tanto en la definición y modelización de los problemas específicos con una profunda discusión teórica, como en la aplicación empírica a situaciones y entornos reales, cosa que ha sido posible gracias al contacto directo del autor con el sector logístico-portuario y su participación en numerosos proyectos de consulto-ría e investigación tanto en el clúster del Puerto de Valencia como a nivel europeo e internacional. El trabajo se plantea como una colección de seis artículos científicos. El orden en que están situados los artículos en la tesis permite mantener una secuencia lógica construida a posteriori y no según el orden cronológico en el que fueron publicados. / [CAT] Des del seu naixement als anys 50, el contenidor marítim ha revolucionat el transport internacional de mercaderies donant suport a un sistema global de producció, marcat per la multilocalització de les indústries en busca d'avantatges competitives i la configuració de cadenes de subministrament cada vegada més complexes i globals. En aquest context, el contenidor ha adquirit un gran protagonisme convertintse en un element logístic bàsic en les cadenes de subministrament en les quals actua com a unitat de transport, producció i distribució. L'èxit del contenidor s'evidencia en analitzar l'evolució del tràfic portuari de contenidors, que ha estat creixent a ritmes superiors al 10 % superant els 600 milions TEU des de 2012. El contenidor és, per tant, un element clau de les cadenes subministrament globals i la logística del contenidor és un àrea d'estudi i treball d'enorme interès per l'impacte que té en l'eficiència d'aquestes cadenes, pel cost que suposa a navilieres i operadors en els seus comptes d'explotació (cost que es trasllada a l'usuari final i repercuteix en el preu de les mercaderies transportades) i pel cost social i ambiental associat a les externalitats del transport derivades d'aquesta gestió de la flota de contenidors. La logística del contenidor té a veure amb la gestió eficient del parc de contenidors, minimitzant els costos de transport, emmagatzematge i manteniment, i maximitzant la utilització de l'equip. En la logística del contenidor es poden identificar, en general, dues categories o nivells diferenciats en funció de l'àmbit geogràfic i de les modalitats de transport implicats: el nivell internacional i el nivell local o regional. Aquest treball aborda la logística del contenidor a nivell regional o local, és a dir, quant a la gestió de l'estoc, transport i moviments interiors, tractant de donar resposta i plantejar solucions a alguns dels problemes amb els quals es troba el sector logístic-portuari en l'actualitat. El resultat de la recerca permet, en primer lloc, conèixer d'una forma integral i estructurada la complexitat de la logística del contenidor marítim. En segon lloc, s'identifiquen i aborden problemes específics reals per a la seua modelització i anàlisi, que permeten contribuir a la millora del sistema logístic actual. En concret s'aborden els següents problemes: -Problemes d'elecció modal en la configuració de les cadenes o corredors logístics interiors en el transport de contenidors marítims. -Problemes de localització o vertebració d'una xarxa d'infraestructures nodals per a atendre les necessitats logístiques dels contenidors marítims. -Problemes associats als moviments en buit i gestió de contenidors marítims. L'interès i contribució acadèmica d'aquest treball resideix tant en la definició i modelització dels problemes específics amb una profunda discussió teòrica, com en l'aplicació empírica a situacions i entorns reals, cosa que ha sigut possible gràcies al contacte directe de l'autor amb el sector logístic-portuari i la seua participació en nombrosos projectes de consultoria i recerca tant en el clúster del Port de València com a nivell europeu i internacional. El treball es planteja com una col·lecció de sis articles científics. L'ordre en què estan situats els articles en la tesi permet mantenir una seqüència lògica construïda a posteriori i no segons l'ordre cronològic en el qual van ser publicats. / Furió Pruñonosa, S. (2016). Modelos y métodos avanzados para la logística del contenedor. Aplicación al Puerto de Valencia [Tesis doctoral no publicada]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/63248 / TESIS

La administración eficiente de la cadena de suministro requiere la integración de diversas actividades logísticas. En particular, beneficios importantes incluyendo reducción de costes y mejoras en el nivel de servicio se pueden lograr coordinando las actividades de transporte y de administración de los inventarios. En esa dirección, se formularon tres modelos de optimización bicriterio (coste y nivel de servicio) que consideran simultáneamente la selección del modo de transporte y define la política de inventario cuando la demanda es determinista y variable en el tiempo. Un modelo está propuesto en el contexto no coordinado y dos están basados en la estrategia de coordinación Épocas Comunes de Resurtido; los modelos asumen un solo proveedor que abastece diferentes productos, utilizando tres modos de transporte (rápido, medio y lento) a un solo cliente. Se construyen las fronteras de eficiencia para los dos modelos coordinados basado en los términos del comercio internacional (Incoterms) ExWork (ExW) y Duty Delivery Paid (DDP). Para ilustrar la aplicabilidad del modelo, se considera un caso de estudio específico en el sector de la automoción. / Jiménez Sánchez, JE. (2006). Coordinación de inventarios en una cadena de suministro a través de épocas comunes de resurtido bajo demanda dinámica considerando diversos modos de transporte y diferentes políticas de descuento en los precios de los productos y en las tarifas de tr [Tesis doctoral no publicada]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/1906 / Palancia

Schienenverkehrsunternehmen können in einer modernen, marktwirtschaftlich organisierten Gesellschaft die verkehrliche Grundversorgung nicht mehr garantieren. Seit Jahren dominiert die Nutzung des motorisierten Individualverkehrs (MIV). Demografische und wirtschaftsstrukturelle Effekte werden dieses Nutzungsmuster weiter verstärken. Das Marktsegment des „klassischen ÖVs“ wird sich in den nächsten Jahrzehnten kaum erweitern lassen. Neue geschäftliche Perspektiven der DB AG liegen aber im Bereich der Systemintegration. Die hierfür notwendigen Module beinhalten eine neue Providermarke, eine neue Technologieplattform sowie die Produktion zusätzlicher Autobausteine. Kern dieser Strategie ist die Adressierung neuer Kundensegmente: Menschen, die in großen Städten leben und eine multimodale Mobilität praktizieren. Diese Gruppe der „Metromobilen“ umfasst rund 3,2 Mio. Menschen. Kernelement der Providerstruktur ist die Nutzung der bereits bestehenden Mobilfunkinfrastruktur durch neue Check-In/Check-Out (CICO) Funktionalitäten. Die mobilen Endgeräte werden als einheitliches Zugangsgerät für den ÖV wie auch für den Autobaustein genutzt und schaffen die Voraussetzung für ein integriertes Abrechnungsverfahren. Mit einer bundesweit einheitlichen CICO-Systemplattform kann die DB AG bisher getrennte Verkehrsmittel zu einem neuen Angebot integrieren und mit neuer Nutzungsqualität ein Alleinstellungsmerkmal schaffen. Die entsprechende Strategie wird hier unter dem Arbeitstitel „DB Mobility“ gekennzeichnet. Mehreinnahmen lassen sich mit einer solchen Strategie auf drei Ebenen generieren: Durch einen moderaten Anstieg der Fahrgäste im ÖV-Bereich, neue Einnahmen durch Vermarktung der Systemplattform für Dritte (Application Service Provider, ASP) sowie durch die Substitution des motorisierten Individualverkehrs mittels skalierbarer Mietwagenangebote (flexibler Autobaustein). / The private automobile is the dominant means of transportation in modern societies. Automobility corresponds with modern standards of flexibility and autonomy. Conventional public transport services can hardly live up to this „benchmark“. This paper suggests that public transport companies – in this case the DB AG – should be converted into providers of intermodal mobility solutions in order to be able to compete with the private car. The analysis shows that an intermodal transport provider can address the mobility needs of a considerable and growing market segment, namely, people who live in large cities and use different modes of transport on a regular basis. Traditional public transport providers can benefit from the mobility budget of this group by extending their present product range. The key element of the provider strategy is a central access platform for all modes of transportation. Customers use a check-in/check-out (CICO)-function which is based on the existing mobile network infrastructure. In this way, common mobile phones can be used to access public transport as well as various modes of individual transport. At the same time, integrated accounting procedures are covered by this technical solution. To meet the target group’s needs, the mobility provider offers highly flexible car- and bike-rental modules in addition to the conventional public transport services.

Rail-road terminals are the chain links in intermodal rail-road transportation where standardized load units (containers, swap bodies and trailers) are transfered from trucks to trains and vice versa. We consider three subproblems of the operational planning process at rail-road terminals that terminal operators are facing in their daily operations. These are the optimization problems storage planning, load planning and crane planning. The aim of storage planning is to determine load unit storage positions for a set of load units in a partially filled storage area. Here, different restrictions like non-overlapping of stored load units have to be respected. The objective of storage planning is to minimize the total transportation costs and the number of load units that are not stored at the ground level. For the load planning we assume a scenario of overbooked trains. So, the aim of load planning is to assign a subset of the load units that are booked on a train to feasible positions on the wagons such that the utilization of the train is maximized and the costs for the handling in the terminal are minimized. For the feasible positioning of load units length and weight restrictions for the wagons and the train have to be respected. For the load planning of trains we consider a deterministic version and a robust approach motivated by uncertainty in the input data. The last considered optimization problem is the crane planning. The crane planning determines the transfer of the load units by crane between the different transportation modes. For each crane a working plan is computed which contains a subset of the load units that have to be handled together with individual start times for the transfer operations. For the load units which have to be transfered in the terminal, storage and load planning compute destination positions (inside the terminal). These destination positions are part of the input for the crane planning. The main objective of crane planning is to minimize the total length of the empty crane moves that have to be performed between successive transports of load units by the cranes. We provide MIP-models for all three subproblems of the operational planning process at rail-road terminals. For the storage and crane planning we also propose fast heuristics. Furthermore, we present and compare computational results based on real world data for all subproblems. The main contributions of this thesis concern load and storage planning. For the deterministic load planning we provide the first model that represents all practical constraints including physical weight restrictions. For the load planning we furthermore present robustness approaches for different practical uncertainties. For the storage planning we provide complexity results for different variants. For the practical setting we developed a heuristic which is able to compute solutions of high quality in a small amount of runtime.

Syftet med arbetet är att undersöka vad det är som hindrar företag i dagsläget från att använda intermodala godstransporter med järnvägen, där frågeställningar som arbetet kommer att besvara är: Överväger fördelarna de nackdelar som finns med användningen av intermodala godstransporter på järnvägen? Samt hur ser framtiden ut för intermodala godstransporter på järnväg? För att besvara syftet har vi använt oss av kvalitativa metoder i form av intervjuer, där intervjufrågorna utformades utifrån semistrukturerade intervjuer. Det teoretiska ramverket är uppbyggt med hjälp av vetenskapliga artiklar och indelat i fyra aspekter som anses vara viktiga för kunder och deras val av transportslag vid transport av gods. Det empiriska materialet är utformat efter intervjuer med intervjupersoner som arbetar med intermodala godstransporter och där dessa arbetar på olika företag. Det empiriska materialet har sedan ställts mot det teoretiska ramverket för att ta fram en analys, där materialet analyserades genom en tematisk analysmetod. Arbetet kom fram till resultatet att hållbarhet alltid varit en av järnvägens starkaste fördelar, men järnvägens nackdelar är de som påverkar kundernas val mest. Nackdelarna är tid och leveranssäkerhet, för att motverka dessa nackdelar krävs det att man gör investeringar i järnvägsinfrastrukturen. Dessa investeringar kan vara att bygga ut eller förbättra den nuvarande järnvägsinfrastrukturen i hopp om att få fler spår och ett starkare nätverk kommer att minimera nackdelarna så att transporterna kan utföras snabbare och effektivare. Framtiden för järnvägen är lovande om investeringar och projekt planeras rätt. Förbättringar kommer leda till att godstransporter på järnväg ökar, dock överväger fördelarna i dagsläget inte nackdelarna om man är ett företag som har tidskänsliga transporter. / The purpose of this work is to investigate what prevents companies from currently using intermodal rail transportation, where the research questions to be answered are: Do the benefits outweigh the disadvantages of using intermodal rail transportation? What does the future hold for intermodal freight transportation by rail? To address the purpose, we have utilized qualitative methods in the form of interviews, where the interview questions were designed based on semi-structured interviews. The theoretical framework is built using scientific articles and divided into four aspects considered important for customers and their choice of transport mode for the transportation of goods. The empirical material is based on interviews with interviewees working with intermodal rail freight, representing different companies. The empirical material was then compared to the theoretical framework to conduct an analysis, where the material was analyzed using thematic analysis method. The study concluded that sustainability has always been one of the strongest advantages of rail transportation, but it is the disadvantages of rail transportation that have the greatest impact on customers' choices. The disadvantages include time and delivery reliability, and to counteract these disadvantages, investments in rail infrastructure are required. These investments can involve expanding or improving the current rail infrastructure, with the hope that more tracks and a stronger network will minimize the disadvantages, allowing for faster and more efficient transportation. The future of rail transportation is promising if investments and projects are planned correctly. Improvements will lead to an increase in rail freight, but currently, if a company has time-sensitive shipments, the disadvantages outweigh the benefits.