| NuRail Project ID | NURail2012-UIC-R09 |
| Project Title | Economic Benefits of Productivity Increases through Truck-to-Rail Mode Shift in Freight Transport |
| University | University of Illinois at Chicago |
| Project Manager | Schlickman |
| Principal Investigator | Kawamura |
| PI Contact Information | Phone: (312) 413-1269 Email: kazuya@uic.edu |
| Funding Source(s) and Amounts Provided (by each agency or organization) | $49,336 CN and UIC OVCR funds; $49,336 USDOT RITA |
| Total Project Cost | $98,672 |
| Agency ID or Contract Number | DTRT12-G-UTC18 (Grant 1) |
| Start Date | 2012-08-01 |
| End Date | 2014-01-31 |
| Location | |
| Brief Description of Research Project | This project will develop an approach for estimating the economic benefits that result from shifting some of the freight that are currently transported on trucks to rail. The approach will utilize the tools that have been developed at the University of Illinois, Chicago over the last several years. We propose to develop a Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) for the U.S. using the data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) and others. The structure of the model will be patterned after the Chicago CGE model that we have developed specifically for analyzing freight-related infrastructure improvements. We will rely on the behavioral microsimulation model of freight movements, called FAME, that we have developed to estimate the variables that are needed to estimate the productivity gains/losses associated with the mode shift from truck to rail. The productivity changes then can be simulated in a CGE environment to estimate the impacts on household income, tax revenue, price levels, multipliers, sector supplies, etc. This approach can be applied for analyzing both infrastructure improvement projects, such as CREATE, or events or policies that affect the cost of trucking (e.g. fuel price). We will select a major project or policy that will have significant impact on the choice of mode by the shippers as the case study to demonstrate the nationwide economic impacts of such project. Since FAME covers the entire nation, this approach can be applied to any project in the country. |
| Describe Implementation of Research Outcomes (or why not implemented) | |
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| Project Website | |
| Completed | yes |
| Final Report | NURail2012-UIC-R09_Truck_Rail_NURail_Final_Report_Kawamura_v21.pdf
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