Analyzing the Modal Shift Initiatives of Intermodal Railroad Freight Transportation

The adverse sustainability consequences of freight transportation have compelled stakeholders to study the modal transition from unimodal road to the intermodal railroad. This motivates identifying and prioritizing modal shift initiatives (MSIs) adopting modal shift from unimodal road to intermodal railroad (IRR) freight transportation. This research employs a multi-criteria decision-making method utilizing the spherical fuzzy Bayesian best-worst method to evaluate the relative weights of MSIs. Applying the proposed framework to the Indian freight transport sector reveals that ‘government initiatives’, ‘infrastructural and technological initiatives’ and ‘management initiatives’ are the most significant categories of MSIs. Furthermore, ‘managerial support and commitment towards the modal shift to IRR freight transportation’, ‘invest in the expansion of rail network and dedicated freight corridors’ and ‘high budgetary allocation to develop rail infrastructure facilities’ are the most crucial initiatives among the 36 MSIs. Additionally, the results of this study can provide valuable guidance for logistics managers, freight shippers, and railway officials in decision-making about the modal shift to IRR freight transportation.