2010: The first Global Intermodal Conference

Secretary General Klaus Ebeling traveled to Washington, with the aim to have a meeting with American authorities responsible for transport, as well as to visit the annual Intermodal Conference organized by our sister Association IANA.

The Intermodal Association of North America (IANA) and the National Industrial Transportation League (NITL) announced the 27th annual Intermodal Expo/TransComp Exhibition, on 15-17th November 2009, at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim. IANA and NITL were once again hosting the two main events in the freight transportation industry, bringing together carriers and shippers.

The invention of the container has brought an extraordinary high degree of rationalisation to modern freight transport. This fact can be regarded nowadays as the very basis of economical globalisation. However, the downside of this rapid growth is the environmental burden resulting in higher emissions. Since globalisation can hardly be reversed and environmental pollution is an accepted claim, there is a need to look for solutions that prevent the increase of traffic from being damaging and destructive. Intermodality holds the key to make a massive contribution to this approach. In order to achieve an improvement of efficiency in a sustainable way, the intermodal freight traffic needs a regulatory framework, which is as consistent as possible. The EIA is strongly cooperating with other intermodal bodies  around the globe in order to provide the necessary measures and assistance to policy makers. In fact, this will be the main goal of the first global intermodal conference 2010.

The basic requirements for intermodal connections are adequate intermodal terminals where units transact between modes. Therefore, the topic of the meeting scheduled November 2010 in Florida is:

Making the Intermodal Connection – The Role of Terminals

In order to focus  efforts, it is proposed that the conference will concentrate on surface freight interchanges: water, rail thand truck. This preparatory meeting  took place during the 27th Intermodal Expo/TransComp Exhibition.

For more information click here.