Multimodal/Intermodal Transportation:
Multimodal transport means using more than one modes of transport during the delivery of a particular consignment. It is a combination of more than one mode of transport.
For e.g.: if a consignment is been transported from one country to another like from Japan to India by using a ship i.e. water transport and after unloading in India the consignment is forwarded to its destination either by train or by road then we are combining water mode with rail or road. Hence, it becomes Multimodal & not Single modal transport.
We have seen some factors that affect the choice of transport mode, but organizations do not have to use the same mode for an entire journey. Their best option is often to divide the journey into stages and the best mode for each stage. This does, of course, depend on factors like the length of the journey and relative costs. Journeys that use several modes of transport are called intermodal.
The aim of intermodal transport is to combine the benefits of several separate modes, but avoid the disadvantages of each; perhaps combining the low cost of shipping with the flexibility of road, or getting the speed of air with the cost of road. The main problem is that each transfer between modes causes delays for extra handling. You can experience this effect when you transfer between a bus and train, or between a car and ferry. Intermodal transport only works if this transfer can be done efficiently.
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