Get to know the vital terms of Logistics and Supply Chain Management.
A land bridge, in logistics, is that overland crossing to arrive at two distant points commonly connecting an ocean port to an inland destination. Such positioning is useful for cargo that should be moved with an economical overland connection between two seaports or between an inland outlet and a coastal hub.
A land bridge typically involves both ocean and rail or truck carriage whereby goods are shipped from the shipping origin to a port along the coast or other designated gateway port that travels by land-of-course, usually overland by train or truck to its final destination. For instance, in the United States, one can ship into a West Coast port, such as Los Angeles, and take it by rail across the country for direct transport to the East Coast for transcontinental transport.
Mini Land Bridge: Here, cargo comes into a coastal port by ship and then moves to an inland point within the same country. The most favored is for efficient transportation between huge countries like the U.S. or Canada.
Micro Land Bridge: Freight is moved from one foreign port to an inland location in another country without traversing additional ocean mileage. For instance, products may originate from Asia and be transported directly into a U.S. West Coast port and then move overland by rail to an interior city such as Chicago.
Intercontinental Land Bridge: This would connect two continents through land. So in the example, goods might be forwarded by rail across Russia as a land bridge between Europe and Asia.
Saving Time in Transit: By eliminating or avoiding additional sea routes, land bridges can conserve the saving of considerable amounts of time, which is very essential to businesses needing rapid deliveries.
Economy of Cost: This combination of carriage by sea and land transport is more economical than purely marine routes. This, in particular, holds for very long hauls.
Environmental Favourableness: Properly designed land bridges, including those railway-based, are more environmentally favorable than long-distance trucking.
A land bridge represents an accessible solution in logistics that connects distant destinations, making use of ocean and land transport to maximize shipping time and cost efficiency. It helps in the efficient and effective transportation of cargo over continents or long distances within inland areas in modern logistics, which require speed and flexibility.
