Intermodal terminal concessions: Lessons from the port sector

Abstract

Tendering procedures for concession of port terminals to private operators have been the subject of considerable interest during the last decade. As a consequence, keys to effective port governance, particularly the landlord model, are fairly well understood, even standardised to some degree. By contrast, intermodal terminal contracts have been found to be quite varied, with little standardisation of procedures, requirements, risks, incentives or contracts even within a single country. This paper applies lessons from the study of port terminal concession contracts to the intermodal sector. The World Bank port reform toolkit is used to create a framework with 72 provisions, which is then matched against five intermodal terminal concession contracts. The analysis reveals several uncertainties in intermodal concession contracts, relating particularly to a lack of specified provisions on performance monitoring and measurement, open access to users, infrastructure maintenance, service marketing and hand back procedures. The paper identifies how the port concession framework used in this paper can be adapted for use with intermodal terminals, as the first step towards developing a global standard such as that used in the port sector.

Decarbonizing intraregional freight systems with a focus on modal shift

“…In Africa, for example, the little existing railway infrastructure has been poorly maintained, resulting in a drastic reverse modal shift from rail to road [119,120]. Operational, financial and contractual standards for intermodal terminals, such as those that exist for ports in the World Bank Port Reform Toolkit, are necessary [121].…”

The role of Bangladeshi ports in developing integrated intermodal freight transportation system in South Asia

“…Overall, with the voice of scholars (Monios & Bergqvist, 2015), intermodality ensures the standards of containers and handling apparatus are met and increasing standardization has been essential to the development of IFT. Bektas and Crainic (2007) discussed intermodal terminals, with ports having a long tradition in investing in riverine inland terminals.…”

Structure of the Scientific-Methodical Support of Realization of Infrastructure Concession Projects

“…Given structure of scientific and methodological support of the concession mechanism is based on the study and systematization of national [2,3] and foreign experience [6,7,8], legislation and scientific developments in the field of concessions. Within the generalization of foreign experience there were considered both countries with rich history and practical experience in realization of such projects of infrastructure concession and countries which relatively recently begun to realize such projects (in particular the experience of the CIS countries was studied).…”