ITI And NCIT At The University Of Denver Offer Second Freight Training Program For Public-Sector Transportation Planners
The Intermodal Transportation Institute (ITI) at the University of Denver and the National Center for Intermodal Transportation (NCIT) have once again joined together to offer a 2½-day training program called "Intermodal Freight Transportation and the Public Planning Process," to be held at the University of Denver, Monday through Wednesday noon, October 12-14, 2009.
The training program for public-sector transportation agencies will again be headed up by Professor Michael D. Meyer, PhD, Professor of Civil Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology and a member of the faculty team of ITI at the University of Denver. He developed the program as a means of increasing the awareness of the importance of the movement of goods throughout the nation and the impact that this movement has on the nation's transportation system.
"The freight sector is a significant contributor to the economic health of the United States, carrying the goods and products on the nation's transportation system," said Professor Patrick Sherry, a faculty and board member of ITI and director of NCIT at the University of Denver. "Given the federal stimulus funds being made available to help finance transportation projects today, we believe public-sector leaders involved in the planning and the spending of transportation projects can benefit from a sound understanding of the freight sector, and this program seeks to provide that information. This curriculum is especially geared for Metropolitan Planning Organizations (AMPO), transit agencies (APTA), and state DOTs (AASHTO), and we are very pleased that Professor Michael Meyer will again teach the program."
Sherry pointed out that in the past decade state and local transportation planners and decision-makers have become increasingly interested in how they can work together to invest in and improve the national transportation infrastructure, including the natural interfaces between public- and private-sector interests, such as commuter-rail and the use of private-freight rail lines. He emphasized that this freight transportation program is an important opportunity for those involved in the planning process in the public sector, including the APTA, AMPO, and AASHTO membership, to learn how the freight transportation system works and how it is inextricably linked with the nation's passenger systems and the nation's economic welfare.
"This important training program for public-sector transportation decision-makers will answer questions dealing with topics such as: how public investment in the nation's transportation system will benefit the movement of freight; what types of funding strategies are most effective for successful interfaces between public- and private-sector interests (such as commuter-rail utilizing private-sector freight lines); and how to get freight stakeholders interested in the overall, integrated transportation planning process in order to maximize a cooperative passenger and freight transportation network," he said.
The training program will answer these questions and also learn from case studies dealing with states and MPOs and the challenges faced by planning at metropolitan levels. Partici¬pants will hear from representatives from freight carriers, passenger carriers, and shippers on what motivates supply-chain decisions. Examples will be given of freight analysis tools and mod¬els and how these tools can be used to develop a strate¬gic investment plan aimed at improving the movement of freight. Importantly, the program will also examine the ad¬vantages and disadvantages of different funding strategies for investing in freight-related projects.
It is expected that by the end of this training program, par¬ticipants will understand the basic economic factors that influence shipping and carrier decisions, how the supply chain affects their communities, how data and analysis can be used to develop the most cost effective strategies, and how to develop a state or regional freight plan.
Recognizing the current economic realities facing the nation, ITI and NCIT have joined to offer a reduced registration fee of only $950.00 for this 2 ½ -day 2009 program. The registration fee includes instruction, program materials, meals, and an ITI-University of Denver certificate of participation upon completion. Additional information or registration forms for this significant public transportation training program can be obtained at: www.du.edu/transportation . Interested parties are encouraged to register early as participation is limited to 25 attendees.
About ITI
The Intermodal Transportation Institute at the University of Denver offers an Executive Masters Program that awards a Master of Science in Intermodal Transportation Management from the University of Denver. This graduate degree program prepares transportation industry managers for the increasingly complex, global business environment where knowledge of finance, quantitative processes, supply chain, law, and public policy issues as well as freight, passenger, and intermodal transportation operational strategies are critical management tools for success. For more information on the ITI Executive Masters Program call: 303-871-4702 or visit: www.du.edu/transportation.
About NCIT
The National Center for Intermodal Transportation (NCIT) is a partnership between the University of Denver and Mississippi State University. NCIT builds upon the activities of the Intermodal Transportation Institute (ITI) at the University of Denver and the activities of the centers with transportation focuses at Mississippi State University. NCIT is a part of the USDOT University Transportation Centers Program and was reauthorized under SAFETEA-LU.
SOURCE: Intermodal Transportation Institute