The Freight Shuttle being developed by TTI would alleviate problems associated
with traffic bottlenecks at ports.
Space-age appearing, unmanned vehicles would transport containers from
ports to terminals at highway speeds with the use of an automated control
system.
(College Station)—When cargo is ready to be off-loaded from ships at any major port, a bottleneck in truck traffic is unavoidable. Typically, trucks have to wait in long lines for hours for a turn to transport an assigned container.
This barrage of truck traffic causes severe congestion at the port and nearby roadways. Pollution from scores of idling diesel engines has become a major concern. Couple that with port security worries and lost revenues from transport delays, and it becomes clear that a major solution is overdue.
Researchers with the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) think they finally have a cost-effective and environmentally friendly answer. They call it the Freight Shuttle, and Texas A&M University is working with the private sector to bring about its success.
The Freight Shuttle consists of electrically powered vehicles propelled by linear induction motors that run on a specialized, derailment-proof guideway. These space-age appearing, unmanned vehicles would be able to transport containers from ports to terminals at highway speeds with the use of an automated control system. At the same time, the Freight Shuttle will allow for 100 percent inspections of containers by passing through a Homeland Security Scanning Station.
“I realize that the Freight Shuttle sounds too good to be true,” says Steve Roop, the head of TTI’s Multimodal Freight Transportation Division and developer of the Freight Shuttle. “But I think it has the potential of revolutionizing the way freight is moved at ports, and anywhere else for that matter.”
Roop expects the Freight Shuttle to significantly reduce the problems that have been plaguing ports for years, while providing shippers with a lower cost, higher-performance transport option.
The federal government seems to think it has potential as well, since the project has received an appropriation of more than $1 million. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson of Dallas has been a supporter of the project since the beginning, and sponsored the current funding.
The Freight Shuttle concept has been under development since 1999. At the time, Roop and his research team were working on a project exploring the feasibility of underground freight transportation. The researchers deemed the project not cost-effective. About that same time, the Trans-Texas Corridor (TTC) proposal was being considered.
Steve
Roop
“We employed some of the design concepts from the TTC, and the Freight Shuttle idea was born. The Freight Shuttle is a zero-emission breakthrough technology that has merit not only at overcrowded ports, but for numerous other applications as well. I can also see it being used within the Trans-Texas Corridor between major metropolitan areas,” said Roop.
Now that additional funding has been secured, the way is paved for the next step: to develop a full-scale prototype in a location that allows fabrication and testing of the system. Currently, TTI is working with shippers and potential private supporters who recognize the Freight Shuttle’s merits.
“I think the best case scenario has construction of a prototype beginning
sometime this year, with a fully operational Freight Shuttle by 2009,”
Roop said. “It’s a major undertaking, and although it has been in the works
for about seven years now, the federal funding has allowed us to enter
the next phase.” 