Intermodal Container Terminals Research Articles

A New Synchronous Handling Technology of Double Stack Container Trains in Sea-Rail Intermodal Terminals

With the advantages of large volume, low unit transportation costs, as well as sustainable and stable transport capacity, China in recent years has actively promoted the innovative pilot of double-stack container sea-rail intermodal transport in the Ningbo-Zhoushan port. In this study, a new synchronous handling technology is proposed to improve the handling efficiency of double-stack container trains at sea-rail intermodal terminals. This research primarily focuses on the design of an LDAGV (Automatic Guided Vehicle with Loading and Discharging Function) and a new special articulated flat car for double-stack container trains, while also optimizing the overall layout of the container terminal yard. It then evaluates nine double-stack container stacking forms based on the requirements of transport gauge and center of gravity height. Finally, using data from the Ningbo Beilun No. 3 container terminal, a cost-benefit analysis is performed to compare the traditional handling scheme for common double-stack container trains and the new synchronous handling scheme for double-stack container trains with new special articulated flat car. The results show that the application of new synchronous handling technology has obvious advantages in terms of reducing the handling time and operation cost of double-stack container trains in sea-rail intermodal container terminals, as well as enriching the stacking forms of double-tier containers on the new special articulated flat car, thus reducing the difficulty of collecting cargoes and the organization of container source.

Hinterland connectivity as a driver of the development of competitiveness of Polish ports in the post-EU accession period

Academic research has indicated that port competitiveness is multidimensional. Although a wide range of drivers of port competitiveness has already been determined, particular ports seem to use different sets of them at different development stages. This paper argues that significant growth in transhipment in Polish ports results from infrastructural development and mainly from enhanced hinterland connectivity. Before Poland had joined the EU, the hinterland connectivity was so underdeveloped that it was more convenient for many companies to use services of the German North Sea ports. However, with EU funds, road investments, travel times between the ports and hinterland have shortened by at least one-quarter. Moreover, the development of railway lines as well as the increase in the number of intermodal container terminals in the hinterland have also improved accessibility to the ports. Rail transport is especially significant for maintaining the competitiveness of ports at times of cutting-edge industry change, increasing the role of economies of scale in shipping.

The Two-Echelon Dual-Channel Models for the Intermodal Container Terminals of the China Railway Express Considering Container Accumulation Modes

China Railway Express (CR Express) is a pioneer of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. The intermodal container terminal system consisting of a maritime terminal and a railway terminal is investigated in this paper. It connects the shipping route and the CR Express route. Typically, there are two container accumulation modes in the railway terminal to dispatch a train, i.e., the fixed-length and the fixed-time container accumulation modes. The intermodal container terminal system can be formulated as the two-echelon dual-channel supply chain model. The steady-state probability matrix is obtained by solving the equilibrium equations. The cooperation between the maritime terminal and the railway terminal is considered to accelerate the accumulation of the containers. The total revenue of the two terminals is used as the key system performance indicator. Numerical experiments are conducted to compare the fixed-length and the fixed-time container accommodation modes. The situations with and without cooperation between two terminals are also compared in the two container accumulation modes, respectively.

Loads and Road Design for Intermodal Container Terminals with Untypical Heavy Load Traffic

There is a high demand in Poland for new intermodal container terminals. Increased rate of freight transport requires however new solutions for durable roads. Intermodal operations are carried out by swap bodies, trailers or most often containers. The intermodal terminals play the function of a storage, transportation and handling of the containers. The road surfaces within the terminals are exposed to different types of loads due to untypical types of transportation that operates on them. New types of roads demand new design methods that consider loads applied by special types of vehicles (container cranes, types of forklifts called reach-stackers). They also need to consider the method of container stacking, where the local forces can reach up to 1400 kN. The article presents typical loads that can be found in intermodal terminals, including the storing area and maneuvering aisles. The article presents also typical materials used for road construction, as well as method of dimensioning that incorporates different exposure factors. The method allows to design load-bearing and durable road surfaces. The calculations were performed for materials typically used in road construction, as well as in industrial flooring. The study presents a case study calculation of a parking lot designed for heavy load trucks.

A Novel Two-Stage Heuristic for Solving Storage Space Allocation Problems in Rail–Water Intermodal Container Terminals

In the past, most researchers have paid attention to the storage space allocation problem in maritime container terminals, while few have studied this problem in rail–water intermodal container terminals. Therefore, this paper proposes a storage space allocation problem to look for a symmetry point between the efficiency and effectivity of rail–water intermodal container terminals and the unbalanced allocations and reallocation operations of inbound containers in the railway operation area, which are two interactive aspects. In this paper, a two-stage model on the storage space allocation problem is formulated, whose objective is to balance inbound container distribution and minimize overlapping amounts, considering both stacking principles, such as container departure time, weight and stacking height, and containers left in railway container yards from earlier planning periods. In Stage 1, a novel simulated annealing algorithm based on heuristics is introduced and a new heuristic algorithm based on a rolling horizon approach is developed in Stage 2. Computational experiments are implemented to verify that the model and algorithm we introduce can enhance the storage effect feasibly and effectively. Additionally, two comparison experiments are carried out: the results show that the approach in the paper performs better than the regular allocation approach and weight constraint is the most important influence on container storage.

The outbound container slot allocation based on the stowage plan in rail–water intermodal container terminals

In the past, most researchers focused on the storage space allocation problem or container block allocation problem in maritime container terminals, while few studied the container slot allocation problem in rail–water intermodal container terminals. Container slot allocation problem is proposed to reduce relocation operations of containers in railway container yards and improve the efficiency of rail–water intermodal container terminals. In this paper, a novel outbound container slot allocation model is introduced to reduce the rehandling operations, considering stowage plan, containers left from earlier planning periods and container departure time. A novel heuristic algorithm based on the rolling planning horizon approach is developed to solve the proposed problem effectively. Computational experiments are carried out to validate that the proposed model and algorithm are feasible and effective to enhance the storage effect. Meanwhile, some other experiments are conducted to verify that our approach is better than the regular allocation approach, which is a common method in marine and railway container terminals, and container weight is the most important influence factor when storing containers.

Multiple Equipment Integrated Scheduling and Storage Space Allocation in Rail–Water Intermodal Container Terminals Considering Energy Efficiency

The rail–water coordinated operation area in a container terminal is the key place to operate the transshipment of intermodal containers between the rail and the sea—the handling efficiency in which can affect the overall transport turnover efficiency. A complicated operational process for various handling equipment exists in this coordinated operation area and can lead to a large amount of energy consumption and environmental pollution. This study proposes an integrated optimization approach to manage the multiple equipment integrated scheduling and storage space allocation problem in an energy-efficient way. A bi-objective optimization model is proposed to minimize the overall operation time and energy consumption, in which the handling operations of imported and exported intermodal containers are considered simultaneously. A genetic algorithm based heuristic algorithm is developed to solve the problem. Results from computational experiments indicate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed model and algorithm, verifying that a near-optimum solution can be obtained for large-scale problems efficiently, which contributes to the improvement of operation services in rail–water intermodal container terminals.

Modeling and Solution of Joint Storage Space Allocation and Handling Operation for Outbound Containers in Rail-Water Intermodal Container Terminals

Storage space allocation and handling operation problems are two main crucial problems in container terminals. Early research efforts, however, are seldom devoted to studying them together. Therefore, this paper considers these two problems simultaneously for outbound containers in rail-water intermodal container terminals (RWICTs), where rail-mounted gantry cranes, inner trucks, and quay cranes are involved. A two-stage problem is proposed: Stage 1 is to determine locations of the containers and reduce the overlapping amount, considering container weight, departure time, destination ports, and containers left from earlier planning periods in railway container yards, according to the locations of containers from Stage 1; and Stage 2 aims at obtaining optimal job sequences of different types of equipment and minimizing makespans of handling operations, considering some operational constraints, particularly rehandling time and inner truck congestion. To solve the problem, a two-stage heuristic algorithm is proposed, where the rolling planning horizon and a new update strategy are introduced. A heuristic algorithm is introduced in Stage 1 and a novel two-layer genetic algorithm is proposed in Stage 2, which introduces proximity principles and the reselection operation. Afterward, the results from Stage 2 are used to resolve the first stage problem, while the problem in Stage 2 is also resolved using the new results from Stage 1. This iterative process continues until there are no more improvements in Stage 1. Finally, the results of the computational experiments indicate that the proposed model and solution approaches are effective and efficient in solving the two-stage problem for outbound containers in RWICTs.

Gantry crane scheduling in intermodal rail-road container terminals

Modern rail-road container terminals serve as important consolidation nodes in intermodal transportation networks where containers are transferred between freight trains and trucks. Among the most important decision problems in these yards is the crane scheduling problem, which decides on the sequences of container moves executed by each of the parallel gantry cranes. This paper treats a rich crane scheduling problem, which considers plenty relevant constraints and is directly applicable in Chinese intermodal terminals. For solving this problem, we propose a fix-and-optimise procedure, which is easy to implement and shown to successfully solve even large-sized instances with 100 container moves in reasonable time.

Review of horizontal transport decision problems in the marine intermodal terminal

The article is a review of the transport problems that appear in a marine intermodal terminal. The importance of intermodal terminals has been increasing since the 1980s as a result of the development of containerized international trade. This increase in the handling of containers cause problems connected with securing adequate space for container storage or efficient usage of available terminal loading equipment such as cranes, AGVs, straddle carriers or terminal tractors with trailers. The equipment of a terminal depends mainly on the size of containers flow. The use of this equipment determine the terminal technology and work organization. That is why the classification of intermodal container terminals is presented in chapter 2. This classification was made according to different criteria. To understand transport problems, the identification of processes performed in the marine intermodal terminal is presented in chapter 3. For the purpose of research an example of an intermodal marine terminal with its individual functional areas is presented. Finally, the literature review on research conducted on the transport processes performed in the terminal are presented in chapter 4. These processes refer to quay side and land side horizontal transport operations. Additionally, the arrangement of containers at the storage yard was investigated.

Locating urban and regional container terminals in a competitive environment: An entropy maximising approach

A flexible and policy-oriented model based on the principle of entropy maximisation is proposed for locating competitive multi-user freight facilities in general and inland multi-user intermodal container terminals (IMTs) in particular in a context where multiple users have choices which include whether or not to use the facilities. The overall problem is decomposed into a linked facility location problem (FLP) and a mode choice problem (MCP). The MCP is cast as a three-level nested probability model for determining modal and IMT demands. It was shown that for terminals with sufficiently large handling capacities, the objective function of the overall problem reduces to that of the MCP, the result is a single level mathematical program, which locates facilities to maximise shippers’ expected utility or consumer surplus. The model is suitable for urban or regional planning, but may also be used by terminal operators to estimate shipper demand for given locations. Algorithms for solving the model, principal features of the algorithms and the model are also presented.

A Decision Support System for Optimizing Operations at Intermodal Railroad Terminals

In this paper, we present a decision support tool to optimize two of the most critical activities in intermodal railroad container terminals, in an iterative and integrated framework devoted to the terminal profit improvement. First, the model allows optimizing the freight trains composition, maximizing the company profit, while respecting physical and economic constraints, and placing in the train head/tail containers prosecuting to subsequent destinations. Hence, based on the resulting train composition, the decision support system allows optimizing the containers allocation in the terminal storage yard, in order to maximize the filling level while respecting physical constraints. The model is successfully tested on a real case study, the inland railroad terminal of a leading Italian intermodal logistics company.

Urban intermodal terminals: The entropy maximising facility location problem

An important problem confronting port cities is where and how to accommodate port growth. Larger ships combined with increased container throughput require more yard space and generate more traffic, straining the urban fabric in the vicinity of the port. A promising solution to this problem is the development of urban intermodal container terminals (IMTs) that interface with both road and rail (or possibly inland waterway) networks. This raises two linked choices; where to locate the intermodal terminals and what will be their likely usage by multiple shippers, each having a choice of whether or not to use the IMT as part of an intermodal transport chain. The use of an IMT by a shipper indicates the shipper's choice of intermodal transport, which comprises a combined use of a high capacity mode (rail or barge between the port and the IMT) and trucks (between the IMT and the cargo origin or destination). The overall problem therefore comprises a mode choice problem embedded within a facility location problem. This paper employs the method of entropy maximisation to combine a logit mode choice model with a facility location model, leading to a non-linear mixed integer programming model. The principal features of the entropy maximising facility location model are illustrated by small and large numerical examples.

Locating urban and regional container terminals in a competitive environment: An entropy maximising approach

Abstract A flexible and policy-oriented model based on the principle of entropy maximisation is proposed for locating competitive multi-user freight facilities in general and inland multi-user intermodal container terminals (IMTs) in particular in a context where multiple users have choices which include whether or not to use the facilities. The overall problem is decomposed into a linked facility location problem (FLP) and a mode choice problem (MCP). The MCP is cast as a three-level nested probability model for determining modal and IMT demands. It was shown that for terminals with sufficiently large handling capacities, the objective function of the overall problem reduces to that of the MCP, the result is a single level mathematical program, which locates facilities to maximise shippers’ expected utility or consumer surplus. The model is suitable for urban or regional planning, but may also be used by terminal operators to estimate shipper demand for given locations. Algorithms for solving the model, principal features of the algorithms and the model are also presented.

A Generalized Stochastic Petri Net Approach for Modeling Activities of Human Operators in Intermodal Container Terminals

This paper proposes a Petri net (PN) representation of the activities performed by the key human operators for unloading/loading containers in an intermodal maritime container terminal (CT) with a low level of automation. These processes are the core of the export, import, and transshipment cycles executed in the terminal. The aim of this paper is to consider both the human component and the material handling resources, e.g., cranes and transporters, by defining an accurate model, which describes how to coordinate humans and use the system resources necessary for serving mother or feeder ships. The developed generalized stochastic PN-based model is of limited complexity and represents a complete, unambiguous, and readable model of the target process before coding it in the target simulation tool. The modular integrated model is tested and validated by the simulation of typical and perturbed scenarios of the Taranto CT, a real terminal that is taken as a case study for its complexity and similarity to CTs with multiple transport modes.

The Partitioning Min–Max Weighted Matching Problem

We introduce and analyze the Partitioning Min–Max Weighted Matching (PMMWM) Problem. PMMWM combines the problem of partitioning a set of vertices of a bipartite graph into disjoint subsets of restricted size and the strongly NP-hard Min–Max Weighted Matching (MMWM) Problem, that has recently been introduced in the literature. In contrast to PMMWM, the latter problem assumes the partitioning to be given. Applications arise in the field of intermodal container terminals and sea ports. We propose a MILP formulation for PMMWM and prove that the problem is NP-hard in the strong sense. Two heuristic frameworks are presented. Both of them outperform standard optimization software. Our extensive computational study proves that the algorithms provide high quality solutions within reasonable time.

A viral system to optimise the daily drayage problem

The intermodal transport chain can become more efficient by means of a good organisation of the drayage movements. Drayage in intermodal container terminals involves the pick up or delivery of containers at customer locations, and the main objective is normally the assignment of transportation tasks to the different vehicles, often with the presence of time windows. This paper focuses on a new approach to tackle the daily drayage problem by the use of viral system (VS). VS is a novel bio-inspired approach that makes use of a virus-infection biological analogy that is producing very satisfactory results when dealing with complex problems with huge feasibility region.

Bi-objective optimization of drayage operations in the service area of intermodal terminals

A full truckload vehicle routing problem in drayage operations around intermodal container terminals is studied. Loaded and empty containers need to be transported in a small geographical area. Either the origin or the destination of empty container transports is unknown in advance. The problem is formulated as an asymmetric multiple vehicle Traveling Salesman Problem with Time Windows (am-TSPTW). For the first time, this type of problem is considered from a bi-objective perspective. Three solution algorithms are proposed and compared with each other. Best results are obtained by a two-phase hybrid deterministic annealing and tabu search algorithm.

Optimized allocation of straddle carriers to reduce overall delays at multimodal container terminals

Increased global container trade and strong competition are boosting the need for efficient container terminals. Using internal transport resources efficiently reduces transfer times and operating costs. This article addresses the allocation of straddle carriers at a tactical level at intermodal container terminals via optimization and simulation. Our objective is to reduce overall delays at the terminal—with special focus on delays of inland transport modes (rail, road and waterway). We introduce a notation to describe different service strategies and delay criteria and analyze the complexity of different service strategies. A generic mixed integer linear program—that can be easily adapted to different service strategies—models the allocation problem based on a network flow representation of the terminal. We conduct a case study for a container terminal at the Grand Port Maritime de Marseille to evaluate the proposed allocation: we adapt the optimization model to the specific terminal, implement a discrete event simulation model and conduct experiments on actual data. Results show that the allocation proposed by the optimization model reduces delays at the terminal and performs well in a stochastic environment.

Robust load planning of trains in intermodal transportation

In this paper, the problem of robust load planning for trains in intermodal container terminals is studied. The goal of load planning is to choose wagon settings and assign load units to wagons of a train such that the utilization of the train is maximized, and setup and transportation costs in the terminal are minimized. However, in real-world applications, many of the parameters needed for the model are not known exactly. Since feasibility of the resulting load distribution has always to be guaranteed, we decided to use a robust approach. In particular, we apply the concepts of strict and adjustable robustness to enhance the load planning problem. Based on a formulation developed in Bruns and Knust (OR Spectrum 34:511–533, 2012) for the deterministic load planning problem, we propose mixed-integer linear programming formulations for most of the respective robust counterparts, dependent on the type of uncertainty. An experimental study shows that most of the robust problems can be solved within runtimes of a few minutes, which is good enough for real-world applications. Furthermore, our results indicate that robust solutions may improve the planning considerably, and that it is promising to add robustness even to large mixed-integer programs with many and diverse technical constraints.