About Railroad

The railroad industry in Canada, is a critical part of the nation's infrastructure to move goods from suppliers to customers in many different industries. This industry has evolved over the years from a slow and cumbersome method of moving goods between two points to a dynamic, competitive option responding to the Just-In-Time requirements of many demanding customers. According to Transportation Canada, the Canadian rail industry has increased investment in railway networks, improved rail safety and security, developed strategic partnerships to share track and expand reach, and engaged in industry-wide efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Canada's rail transportation industry is moving full steam ahead in support of the country's economic growth.

The rail system in Canada was critical to the development of the nation. Following Confederation Canada was a group of disparate regions with a cluster of provinces to the East, including Ontario, Quebec and the Maritime Provinces (1867) separated from British Columbia in the West (1870) with vast, nearly empty, prairie lands in between. A bold plan was adopted to tie these regions together to ensure that the country, in its early days, would be connected for trade and resist the pull of joining the United States to the South.

• the nation and the economy grew, rail transportation expanded in a vast network throughout the country, into newly developed territories in the North to support the mining and lumber industries as well as central Canada, moving people and goods from the growing cities to newly developed communities.
• present the Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) and the Canadian National Railway (CNR) dominate the exclusively private network of railways that now, through ownership of and partnerships with US rail lines, extend their capability to move products throughout the United States and into Mexico. Transportation Canada indicates that 95% of Canadian rail tonne-kilometers, 75% of the industry's tracks and three quarters of overall tonnage is handled by these two operators. However, there is much more to this industry than even these two firms represent.

About Marine

Marine transportation is the oldest and most important mode of moving people and goods for travel and commerce. This has been especially the case in the development of Canada as a trading nation. The First Nations of Canada used our many rivers, streams and lakes as their critical source of travel in search of favourable sites for their communities, their food and trade with other tribes. European explorers charted the lands and waterways deep into the Canadian landscape, eventually conducting their own trade with the indigenous peoples. These waterways carried furs and lumber from the interior to new coastal centres in Montreal, Toronto, and Halifax to be further transported across the oceans to European markets, thus serving as the initial gateways to the emerging Canadian economy. Later, Vancouver became an important costal centre for global trade across the Pacific and remote norther communities will emerge as important ports of call for Arctic transport.

Marine transportation currently accounts for approximately 90% of globally transported goods with ships constructed to carry a multitude of different products and commodities. Canada being a coastal nation with access to three of the world's oceans has become an important marine transportation hub for the movement of its own products to international markets as well as a conduit for the movement of goods into North American centres of commerce.

The industry is also highly regulated, domestically and globally, the former by Transport Canada and latter by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) who's head offices are in Montreal, Quebec. Marine commerce and the operators who ply the high seas and inland waterways, are subject to a myriad of international laws and regulations pertaining to safety (prevention of accidents), navigation and ship construction requirements - again, mostly related to the safe operation of vessels - the safety of life at sea, environmental protection and piracy.

The port and terminal system to support marine transportation is the most highly developed transportation system in the world and Canada's marine transportation system is among the best. This very important transportation industry is the focus of this assignment.

About Airline Industry

Air transportation in Canada consists of a variety of local, regional, national and international airlines which transport passengers and cargo to destinations both domestically and around the world. (Statistica, 2018).

Since the early 1900's Canada has been involved in the development of a vibrant airline industry. In the early days the industry was focused on improving air flight in conjunction with using airplanes as weapon of war, carrying mail and eventually personal travel to areas not serviced by rail. The industry gradually moved into commercial aviation with the expansion of domestic and international passenger travel as well as global trade in goods.

Initially the industry was highly regulated by the government, for reasons of safety and the protection of the domestic market. Virtually every nation has developed a "national" airline as a matter of prestige and control of its airspace. Over time, strict domestic regulation and protection has given way to a measure of deregulation and competition to facilitate the growth in both passenger and commercial traffic. Governments still retain control over their airspace by international convention and global air transportation is administered by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). However, international carriers, for both passenger and cargo traffic, are permitted to operate globally where agreements have been struck with respective country regulators.

At present domestic and international markets are served by Air Canada, several its subsidiaries, a variety of regional airlines and tour operators.

Cargo carriers in this industry are highly specialized which includes Air Canada along with several courier and cargo specific carriers. It is this segment of the industry that is of primary importance to companies managing their logistics and supply chains.

About Trucking Industry

The Canadian trucking or motor carrier industry, is an important part of the transportation industry, especially in the current environment driven by the Just-In-Time requirements of many industries and the growth of consumer e-commerce. According to the Canadian Encyclopedia, the trucking industry consists of persons and firms engaged in the business of owning and operating motor trucks to transport goods and is composed mainly of 3 elements: contract, private and common carriage.

The Canadian Encyclopedia also differentiates the trucking industry as follows:

A contract carrier transports goods for one or a limited number of consignors, according to contractual agreements specifying rates of compensation and other terms.

A private carrier transports his own goods by his own motor vehicle, E.g, raw materials to processing, finished products to market. It is estimated that private carriage is at least as large as common carriage in tonnage moved.

The common-carrier (or for-hire) industry is composed of individuals and establishments that own and operate for-hire motor trucks for the transportation, by road, of any and all goods. Thus, unlike the private or contract carrier, the common carrier serves the general-shipping public. The common-carrier industry provides shippers with full-service, door-to-door delivery, with an enforceable legal obligation to provide service at a published rate to even the smallest hamlet in N America.

It is estimated that 70% of manufactured goods moving between Canada and the US are carried by truck. On any given day, a look at the Ambassador Bridge, the current crossing between Canada and the US is clogged with trucks carrying a variety of goods between the two countries and is the busiest border crossing between any two countries in the world. Canadian carriers engaging in this international movement must, among other requirements, apply for US authorization and satisfy the requirements of both US and Canadian customs regulations.

Assignment: PART 'A'

Every mode of transportation involves transferring a product to where the customer wants or needs it or where they wish to purchase it in the distribution channel (at the right place), when they want it (the right time), for what they are willing to pay (at the right price), and finally, at the expected quality or specified quality, thus meeting all their requirements.

Question from above information you answer this question from the above information on each industry with reference

1. Operating and Service Characteristics of the Rai Marine, Trucking, Airline industry: This section should include general service advantages as they pertain to typical railroad customers as well as the strengths and weakness of railroads in serving their customers. The nature and type of goods or commodities hauled should be explored. The variety of equipment and technology used as part of the transportation process, the types of equipment used as well as, the function and importance of rail terminals must be explained.

2. Current Issues in the Industry: Students should profile the issues that are common as well as unique to the railroad industry. An effort should be made to discuss how the industry is coping with and/or managing these issues to remain competitive in their industry and other transportation modes.