The importance of the inland leg of containerised maritime shipments: An analysis of modal choice determinants in Spain

While most of the studies that address competition between road and rail transport focus on national or international non-maritime shipments, there is practically no empirical evidence on the modal choice determinants of the inland leg of maritime shipments. This paper intends to fill that gap by estimating a modal choice model between road and rail transport on the inland leg of Spanish containerised maritime freight shipments, using a mixed logit model and stated preference techniques. The results obtained confirm the vital role that frequency plays in the relative competitiveness of rail transport and also provide subjective values of transport attributes that are deemed essential for an accurate cost-benefit analysis.