Based on lower initial capital requirements and an ability to implement intermodal transportation nine months sooner than the gondola option, the project undertook preparations for intermodal operations. A subcontracted broker provides a full range of transportation support services for the project. This includes arranging for container transportation from the project site to the intermodal terminal in Cleveland, transfer to the rail carrier, and tracking of containers through the required rail transfers en route to the burial site. A daily report of the location and status of each container is provided to allow for effective waste management planning. Calculations predict that the RMI Decommissioning Project will ship more than 2,000 containers to remove all waste from the site.
Efforts are underway to reduce the overall shipping volumes, thus further lowering costs.