IPl is a combination of the first letters in the English word Interior Point Intermodal, also known as “Inland Point Intermodal”. It has the basic characteristics of multimodal transportation and is the most frequently used mode of transportation to transport goods from the West United States to inland points. In the freight rail transportation network of the United States, many IPI points play an undeniable role in transit.The railway transportation network from ports on the east and west coasts of the United States to inland points is well-established, and multimodal transportation is mainly completed by sea rail intermodal transportation. Due to the fact that the railway transportation networks in the East and West of the United States are controlled by different railway companies, container railway transportation across the East and West requires the delivery of containers from one railway company to another at the IPI node of the inland common point connecting the East and West.United StatesWhat are the characteristics of IPl points in the United States?Compared to MLB transportation, IPI methodAlthough they are all “sea+land” intermodal transportation, container goods under MLB reach coastal ports, while IPI transportation method transports container goods to major inland cities. The transportation methods, routes, responsibilities, and risks of the transportation operators are completely the same for both.What is MLB transportationMINI Land Bridge (MLB) refers to a sea to land or land to sea form of transportation that is shortened by a certain length compared to the sea to land sea form of a land bridge. At present, North American small road bridges mainly transport container goods from the Far East, Japan via the West Coast of the United States, especially from ports in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the Gulf Coast to the East Coast of the United States. For example, Dalian – Long Beach – Houston.Compared to OCP transportation, IPI methodAlthough both are “sea+land” (railway/road) with destinations in inland cities, IPI is a complete multimodal transportation, while OCP transportation does not belong to multimodal transportation. Just because the ocean and land transportation sections of OCP are separately signed, freight charges are separately settled, transportation responsibilities are also separated, and insurance needs to be separated, although similar in form to multimodal transportation, the essence is different.What is OCP transportationOverland Common Points (OCP) refer to the use of two transportation methods to transport goods unloaded at ports on the West Coast of the United States to public areas in the United States by rail or road, with preferential rates.Under IPI transportation modeWhen preparing the bill of lading, it is necessary to specify: [Port of discharge: LONG BEACH; Place of delivery: IPI MEMPHISTN]; The transportation operator is responsible for the entire transportation process from the time of receipt of the goods to the time of delivery. Although IPI transportation uses two different modes of transportation, it uses the same bill of lading and charges the entire shipping cost.What are the important IPI inland ports in the United States?In the freight rail transportation network of the United States, cities such as Chicago, Dallas, Memphis, Detroit, Cincinnati, Kansas, etc. are all very important inland points. Let me take a look at these inland points together.Chicago PortThe Port of Chicago is the world’s largest inland port, with a shoreline of over 10000 meters and a coastal depth of about 7 meters. The dock facilities are well-equipped and almost all are connected by railway lines. The time from Chicago to major ports such as Seattle, Portland, Long Beach, and Auckland is all within 7 days. The port has a foreign trade area of 100000 square meters and an annual cargo throughput capacity of approximately 50 million tons.Chicago has 37 railway arteries and is the largest railway hub in the United States, known as the “American artery.”. There are approximately 35000 trucks traveling daily, with 200 truck stations, 4 freight ports, 8 suburban railways, and a 1013.8 kilometer long highway leading to the city center, making transportation fast and convenient.The Port of Chicago includes two major port areas, Indiana and Calumet, with a shoreline of over 10000 meters and a coastal depth of about 7 meters. Almost all dock facilities are connected by railway lines.Dallas PortDallas is an important inland point in the United States, located within the state of Texas. It lacks water transportation and its economic development mainly comes from the powerful oil and cotton industries.Dallas is located on several railway and highway lines, with well-developed land transportation. Eight railways and two transcontinental highways pass through the city of Dallas, with highways interwoven between the city and suburbs. The sea rail intermodal transportation plan to Dallas mainly involves express ships transferring to LA via railway.MemphisMemphis is the largest city in Tennessee, located in the central southern United States, with the Mississippi River crossing the city center. It is the fourth largest inland waterway terminal in the United States, located at the throat of the north-south waterway, transporting approximately 6.3 billion tons of goods annually.Memphis is connected to highways that cross the east-west and north-south directions of the United States. Seven highways intersect here, and freight containers can reach two-thirds of the mainland within 10 hours by truck. The railway station is adjacent to the Mississippi River and has well-developed railway transportation. It has 5 first-class railways and 6 railway terminals, which is conducive to cost saving in water and land intermodal transportation.New Changes in the US IPI LayoutIPI is very important for the US route. Generally speaking, about 30-35% of the containers unloaded from the US West Coast terminal are transported by train to the inland (IPI). In addition, the RIPI from the East Coast and the transfer from the West Coast terminal in Canada should result in a cargo volume of 40-45% at the US Inland Railway Station as the final destination. The layout and route of IPI are generally from west to east (unloading ships and trains on the west bank), or from east to west (unloading ships and trains on the east bank). The route and cargo volume from south to north are not many, but this situation is about to change.The reason for the change comes from the rapid development of the central and southern docks, especially Houston. Except for Savannah, the Houston and Mobile terminals in the south on the east coast have seen the largest increase in cargo volume in the past five years since 2019, with growth rates of 40% or more. In terms of the import volume of a single port, Houston has surpassed Norfolk to become the fifth largest container import port in the United States. If LA/LB is considered as one port, then Houston is the fourth largest port
