Using a multi-objective programming model to validate feasibility of an underground freight transportation system for the Yangshan port in Shanghai

Abstract

Preventing environmental deterioration and alleviating traffic congestion are becoming urgent problems in urban and transportation planning. Alleviating the pressure from increasing freight transportation traffic via low-emission and innovative transportation methods can reduce problems such as transportation network capacity limits and environmental pollution and contribute to the development of resource-efficient and sustainable cities in the future. Underground freight transportation systems (UFTSs) can improve service quality and transportation efficiency in urban logistics and alleviate traffic congestion and associated problems such as energy consumption and air pollution. Previous studies on urban UFTSs have focused mostly on technical feasibility and policy requirements. Studies providing a quantitative analysis of the effects of introducing a UFTS on an existing transportation network are scarce. In this study, the main goal is to create a quantitative method to analyze the effects of introducing a UFTS on the performance of a transportation network. Thus, a multi-objective programming model of an integrated aboveground-underground transportation network that considers transportation cost, time, and emissions is created. The Yangshan port in Shanghai, China is used as an example to assess whether a UFTS can significantly reduce the cost, time, distance and emissions of the aboveground freight container transportation. The weights on three objective functions are varied to analyze their effects on the solution. These results provide a reference for optimizing freight distribution plans when a UFTS is constructed and for implementing integrated aboveground-underground transportation systems in the future.