On-dock terminals tend to be designed to only handle containers on flatcars (COFC). These can be prone to congestion and delays. While for an on-dock rail terminal, containers can be moved directly from the dock (or the storage areas) to a railcar using the terminal’s own equipment, accessing a near-dock facility requires clearing the terminal’s gate, using the local road system, and clearing the gate of the near-dock rail terminal. The fundamental difference between an on-dock and a near-dock rail facility is not necessary the distance from the terminal facilities, but terminal clearance.

For inland intermodal chains, rail terminals are linked with port terminals. Although barge-to-barge terminal container services are technically possible, they are not very common. At the maritime container terminal, barges can either use regular docking areas or have their own terminal facilities if congestion is an issue.

The containerization of inland river systems has led to the development of an array of barge terminals linked with major deep-sea terminals with scheduled barge services. The terminal is used as a buffer while containers wait to be loaded on another ship. Their purpose is mainly to transship containers from one shipping network to another, and many have limited hinterland connections. The growth of long-distance maritime container shipping has also favored the emergence of intermediate hub terminals, some having an offshore location. A gateway (container terminal) provides an interface between the maritime and inland systems of circulation. They are the most substantial intermodal terminals in terms of traffic, footprint, and capital requirements. There are three major types of intermodal terminals, each having its own locational and equipment requirements:

Cdock terminal