(REVISED)
Executive Summary
of the Meeting Minutes of the APEC Intermodal Task Force
Monday, October 19 - Tuesday, October 20
Inter-continental Hotel
Seoul, Korea

Agenda Item I: Welcome and Introductions

Mr. Kenneth R. Wykle, Chair of the APEC Transportation Working Group’s

Intermodal Task Force (ITF), and Administrator of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration welcomed the delegates to the meeting, and thanked them for their on-going support and participation in the ITF’s activities.

Following a brief self-introduction, the Chair introduced Mr. Kevin Kavanaugh of Canada, his Vice-Chair. The nine APEC economies represented at the meeting included: Australia; Canada; Chile; The People’s Republic of China; Japan; The Republic of Korea; Mexico; New Zealand; and the United States of America. (The representative from Peru was acting in an official observer capacity.)

Agenda Item II: Overview of Interim Meeting

Mr. Kavanaugh provided an overview of the interim meeting held in Vancouver, Canada on August 6-7, 1998. The objective of the interim meeting was to advance the ITF’s work on its high-priority tasks. The meeting was well attended, with a total of 60 participants. The private sector participation was strong, with 24 delegates representing 40 percent of those in attendance. Mr. Kavanaugh commented on the importance of private sector participation and inclusion in Transportation Working Group’s activities. This concept was fully endorsed by The APEC Ministers responsible for transportation at their Ministerial meeting conducted in Victoria, Canada in June of 1997.

Mr. Kavanaugh distributed a compendium of the presentations made at the interim meeting and noted the inclusion of private sector speakers from Hong Kong, China; Canada; and the United States who shared their expertise on intermodal issues. He referenced the presentations that highlighted best practices featured in the Congestion Points Study including: Global TransParks; the Rail Corridor Efficiency Study; Hong Kong, China’s New International Airport; the development of an intermodal facility at Miami International Airport; and the Alaska cruise ship industry’s state-of-the-art intermodal passenger facility. Additional presentations by United Parcel Service on the integration of tracking cargo shipments and Mobius Consulting Group, Inc. on strategic considerations for website development rounded out the program.

Mr. Kavanaugh noted that within APEC, many delegations to the full working group meeting are being limited in size, making it difficult to get full representation in the sub-group meetings. Based on the success of the recent interim meeting held in Vancouver, he suggested that the Intermodal Task Force consider having more interim meetings in the future to advance progress on its high priority tasks.

The draft interim meeting minutes were distributed, and delegates from Australia, Canada, Chinese Taipei (not in attendance at the meeting), and the United States submitted written revisions and edits. These edits will be incorporated into the final meeting minutes and distributed to all delegates in November. The Chair requested that any additional changes to the draft meeting minutes be given to Ms. Martine Micozzi by the end of the week.

Agenda Item III: Progress Report on High Priority Tasks

The Chair welcomed Mr. Takayoshi Kudo to the Intermodal Task Force. Mr. Kudo presented Japan’s draft reports of two high-priority tasks of the ITF’s work program: "The Key Findings of the Congestion Points Study and the Preliminary Results of the Intermodal Freight Questionnaire--Common Recognition Concerning Intermodal Transport."

Mr. Kudo reported on the results of the freight questionnaire distributed to all APEC member economies which identified four common areas of intermodal impediments in the APEC region: congested roadway systems; inefficient customs procedures; inadequate rail facilities; and institutional barriers arising from the lack of cooperation and coordination.

Mr. Kudo confirmed that the results of the survey would be published and presented at the next APEC ITF meeting in Santiago, Chile. All member economies are encouraged to submit comments within the next 60 days on best practices that are underway to resolve the impediments identified in the freight survey.

Next, Canada presented a report titled: "Passenger Transportation Intermobility, Phase I Literature Review: and the draft intermodal passenger survey to the ITF members. Members were asked to review the documents and prepare comments for further discussion on Tuesday.

Agenda Item IV: Progress Reports on High Priority Tasks

Ms. Joan Yim of Parsons Brinckerhoff made a presentation on the Thailand Rail Corridor Efficiency project. This project is designed to improve the efficiency of the port-rail links and container distribution by increasing infrastructure capacity, creating public-private partnerships, upgrading existing technology and/or using new technologies, and establishing competitive pricing. Ms. Yim noted that presently, truckers do most of the freight hauling which makes the conversion of freight transport to the railways and to making intermodal improvements quite challenging.

Parsons Brinckerhoff is working with the Kingdom of Thailand to conduct a forum in Bangkok in the next year with government and industry officials on inland container distribution facilities and port-rail linkages. Ms. Yim will share the results of this effort and "lessons learned" with the ITF.

Next, Dr. Jess Browning of the University of Washington provided a status report (on behalf of Mr. Karl Westby) on the Transportation Shipping Harmonization and Integration Planning System project known as "TSHIP." This project was approved for $40,000 (U.S.) in APEC funding for the development of a computer model and methodology for assessing intermodal investments. The project is on schedule and the data collection is 90 percent complete. Dr. Browning offered an opportunity to add an Asian port to the model. As no APEC economies have indicated an interest, the Chair has left this decision to the discretion of Mr. Westby. The project should be completed in approximately one year, and a progress report will be made at the next APEC ITF meeting in Chile.

Agenda Item V: Presentation of other Pilot Project Proposals

Member economies were invited to present any other pilot project proposals for consideration by the ITF. No new proposals were presented.

Agenda Item VI:: Review of Other High Priority Tasks

The Chair reviewed the status of the other high-priority tasks and actions. Indonesia requested that other economies assume the lead for the two, high-priority tasks for which they were the lead: the development of an Intermodal Task Force website; and the identification of intermodal skills. Messieurs Griffith and Keough of Australia noted that they have already created a web page for the Intermodal Task Force which is now available for use. The ITF members agreed to utilize this capability, and the procedures for sending files to the Webmaster for posting information to the website should be clarified by the presentation scheduled during the plenary session. Mr. Kavanaugh agreed to explore taking the lead on the second task which calls for the identification of needed intermodal skills.

Agenda Item VII: Update on Intermodalism and Satellite Navigation and Communication Symposium

Mr. Ted Davies of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration and Mr. Low of the Singapore Aviation Academy presented an update on the Intermodalism and Satellite Navigation and Communication Symposium scheduled for May 5-7, 1999 at the Singapore Aviation Academy. Draft brochures were distributed to the ITF members.

Mr. Davies requested the ITF to identify a facilitator to work with them to organize a panel on intermodalism planned for the morning session on May 5. This facilitator will identify, contact and coordinate the speakers, presentations, and a moderator for the session. Canada agreed to accept the facilitator role, and member economies are invited to submit suggestions to the Chair on speakers for this panel. Due to physical space limitations, this event will be limited to 10 delegates from each APEC member economy, and the proposed list of invitees will be sent to the Head of Delegation. The symposium will be videotaped for future use.

Agenda Item VIII: Update on Intermodal Educational Seminar

Dr. Jess Browning provided an update on the development of the intermodal educational seminar tentatively scheduled for the Fall of 1999. There was a suggestion to schedule this event in conjunction with the next APEC Ministerial meeting, and collaborate with Canada on supporting a Youth Forum on intermodalism. More information will be available after this agenda item is discussed in the plenary session on Thursday, and the date of the next Ministerial meeting is known.

The estimated budget for this seminar is $16,000 with a $5,000 contribution from the University of Washington, leaving a balance of $11,000. There was discussion of a potential funding request to the APEC TPT, as well as exploration of funding from other universities in the APEC Region. Dr. Browning concluded his presentation with an overview of the APEC Collaborative Center, an information-sharing forum created by the University of Washington.

Agenda Item IX: Update on Intermodal Developments in the APEC region

Three economies made presentations on the latest intermodal development in their respective regions: Canada, Australia; and the United States.

Mr. Kavanaugh aired a video called: "The Iron Highway" which featured an innovative and unique way to expedite the loading and unloading of truck trailers onto rail cars.

Using a continuous, flexible ramp system, truck trailers can be quickly and easily driven on and off rail cars. There are no couplers, no slack, and no jarring of the cargo which reduces the potential for damage. This system is a potential and logical follow-on to the double-stacking of trains.

This system currently in use on the Canadian Pacific freight rail line between Montreal and Toronto moves trucks from the roadways to the railways, thereby reducing traffic congestion. Each 366 meter ramp can accommodate 40 trailers. There are presently two departures and arrivals every day except on Saturdays. Trailers spend less time in the terminals than airline passengers, with an average of 15 minutes at the terminal. The use of hand-held technology expedites the freight movement by recording the loading and unloading of each truck trailer. These units transmit all information to a larger computer and the driver receives a receipt. Key advantages of The Iron Highway include: elimination of the need for huge intermodal terminals, the ability to drive trailers on and off the system with no manual labor; and the ability to quickly unlock, unlock and drive away trailers.

Mr. Kavanaugh stated that this service has really taken off in recent years. Recalling the traffic congestion problems that were highlighted by Japan’s freight survey results, the Iron Highway offers a potential solution to relieving road/rail problems.

Mr. Tony Griffiths of Australia informed the ITF about a project being conducted by the AFTA-CER (ASEAN Free Trade Association - Closer Economic Relationship.) This initiative to improve intermodal transport in those countries consists of two elements: an Internet-based website approved in April of 1998; and a Transport Corridor Study. The website provides industry with contacts of transport officials for clarification/questions on regulatory issues. The Transport Logistics Corridor Study will focus on road transport from Singapore to Bangkok. This joint government-industry initiative entails the study of impediments to the smooth and efficient transfer of freight from airports and seaports to land-based transport. Industry will provide funding to resolve these problems. The transport of perishable goods is of particular interest to Holland. The study is scheduled to begin in April and conclude in July. There is potential for this to be developed into a pilot project for the ITF. This potential can be better assessed as the project progresses and reaches an advanced stage of development.

Mr. Barry Keough of Australia provided a thumbnail sketch of recent developments in electronic commerce. He discussed the exploratory work being conducted in Australia to facilitate freight movement and customs clearances, using the website to transmit manifests, import and export declaration forms and other information that is converted into an EDI format. This capability is especially pertinent and useful for medium to small businesses and enterprises that cannot invest in potentially costly EDI systems. With a web browser, these smaller companies can use the Internet to increase the efficiency of their communication and freight movement. There are over 30 companies that are already using this technology. There is a potential for demonstrating this technology at the next APEC Transportation Working Group meeting in Chile.

The Chair gave a presentation on the Federal Highway Administration’s Intermodal Activities. The three components of the presentation included: an overview of the Connectors Study; the new Borders and Corridors Program, and the European-U.S. freight activities.

The Connectors study is exploring the condition and performance of highway and bridge infrastructure on short segments that connect expressways to intermodal freight terminals, manufacturing centers, rail yards and sea and air ports. Even though these comprise a small percentage of the total highways in the United States, they are critical linkages to the efficient movement of freight. This study is slated for completion in September of 1999 and will identify options to improve these linkages.

The Corridor and Border Program is a newly-legislated program which provides annual funding of $140 million dollars (U.S.) forfive years to improve strategic freight corridors in the U.S. and support ways to expedite the movement of freight across borders to Mexico and Canada. The U.S. Department of Transportation is currently dialoguing with business and government officials nationwide to determine and prioritize needs for this funding.

The Chair concluded his presentation with an overview of parallel activities underway between the U.S. and Europe on intermodal freight transport. Mr. Wykle will be meeting with the E.U.- U.S. Forum in November to discuss collaborative actions to improve freight movement.

Mr. Walter Kulyk of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration gave an overview of activities underway, including the establishment of a new international program. Key activities planned include: the study of low-speed magnetic levitation rail technology for the movement of intracity passengers; a public-private partnership research and demonstration program; and the potential for a $150 million dollar (U.S.) Clean Fuels Incentive Program for the development of alternative and clean fueled bus propulsion technologies.

On Tuesday, October 20, ITF members discussed in detail the draft intermodal passenger survey tabled by Canada, and suggested a number of revisions to it.

Further changes are to be forwarded to Canada by January 30, 1999. Subsequently, Canada will revise the survey and redistribute it to all ITF members via the Transportation Working Group’s Listserv four weeks prior to the next Transportation Working Group meeting scheduled in Santiago, Chile (TPT-WG-15).

The group also discussed future directions for the task force. The Chair elicited comments on the direction and scope of work the ITF members would like the task force to take. Mr. Kavanaugh mentioned the establishment of the four demonstration or pilot projects that have been identified to date. It was recognized that while the task force is limited in its ability to affect change, and that the ITF depends on government and industry to initiate, fund and implement intermodal projects, the ITF can play a facilitation role in sharing, distributing and disseminating best practices in intermodal transportation.

Toward that end, Canada suggested that the ITF focus on the dissemination of information to government, industry, and academics to further the awareness and knowledge of intermodal transportation in the APEC region. This could be accomplished through use of the APEC Transportation Working Group’s website and Intermodal Task Force page. The U.S. will take the lead on putting information on the webpage and Canada will undertake working with the hosts of the next APEC Ministerial meeting to suggest a Youth Forum on intermodalism. The Chair also requested Ms. Yim’s assistance in increasing and encouraging private sector participation in the ITF.

It was acknowledged that the work the ITF is doing on the educational symposia contributes to the awareness and promotion of intermodalism. Keeping people aware of private sector participation, sharing "lessons learned" and promoting the use of technology all contribute toward this effort. Moreover, the ITF will coordinate with the future host economies of TPT meetings to explore opportunities for incorporating visits to intermodal facilities into their technical tours.

It was recognized that as technology changes, the best practices featured in the Congestion Points Study (the basis for the Intermodal Task Force), will also change.

The ITF can play a role in sharing updates on the latest developments and innovations in the field. In this way, the Congestion Points Study becomes a "living document."

The Chair concluded the meeting with an invitation to the Korean delegation to consider making a presentation at the next ITF meeting on the new high-speed rail passenger service from Seoul to Taegu, its potential expansion to Pusan in 2002, and expansion of the current expressway system, the new Inchon Airport, and the intermodal aspects of these three infrastructure projects. He also invited the Chinese delegation to consider making a presentation on the intermodal projects underway in that economy to move freight more efficiently, including dredging at ports, intermodal connections, expansion of kilometers of expressways, and port modernization.

This page was last updated on 10 Aug, 2006