GlossaryEN1 min readUpdated: Jul 18, 2026
Landbridge
A landbridge is an intermodal transport concept in which an ocean freight leg is replaced by an overland rail corridor: containers travel by ship to a port, cross the continent by rail and, where applicable, are shipped onward from the other side.
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Source: https://transportgeography.org/contents/applications/transportation-bottlenecks/types-landbridges/
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Definition & Explanation
A landbridge is an intermodal transport concept in which an ocean freight leg is replaced by an overland rail corridor: containers travel by ship to a port, cross the continent by rail and, where applicable, are shipped onward from the other side. Classic examples are the North American landbridge between Pacific and Atlantic ports and the Eurasian landbridge between China and Europe. Its defining features are that the goods remain in the same container and the transport is frequently covered by a single through transport document. Variants include the mini-landbridge (ocean transport to a port, rail to a port on the opposite coast) and the micro-landbridge (rail to an inland destination). For shippers, a landbridge can significantly shorten transit times compared with the all-water route and bypass geopolitical bottlenecks such as canals or straits – usually at higher cost than through ocean freight. Not to be confused with transshipment, where cargo is transferred between vessels at an intermediate port.
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