Intermodal Rail Transport Research Articles

Research on Multi-Equipment Cluster Scheduling of U-Shaped Automated Terminal Yard and Railway Yard

A new layout of the U-shaped automated terminal is more convenient to connect between the terminal and the railway. In this study, a sort of cluster scheduling method for multiple equipment between a U-shaped automated terminal yard and a railway yard is proposed. The innovation points are as follows: (1) Considering that the rail gantry crane (RGC), intelligent guided vehicle (IGV), and double cantilever rail crane (DCRC) usually work in groups, they are grouped and cluster-scheduled. (2) A hybrid integer programming model is established to minimize container transit times, and non-crossing constraints and safe distance constraints are included to reflect complex interactions among terminal equipment. (3) An ADMM (Alternating Direction Method of Multipliers)-based framework is proposed to dualize the hard-edge constraints and break the cluster scheduling problem down into a specific subproblem set of RGCs, IGVs, and DCRCs, and their time cost is iteratively adjusted to improve the solution quality. The experiment results show that the solution of the proposed method, which can effectively avoid IGV conflict, is better than that of the standard Lagrange relaxation (LR) when the number of equipments participating in scheduling increases. This study on multi-equipment cluster scheduling is conducive to improving the collaborative handling and continuous work of terminal equipment, and improving the efficiency of the automated terminal and the sea–rail intermodal transport.

Intermodal rail transport in selected European countries

Paper presents analysis of intermodal rail transport in selected loading units. The brief description of the loading units is presented. The volume of intermodal rail transport of load units in European countries in 2021 is shown, taking into account mass of transported goods, transport performance and average transport distance. Goods in the intermodal transport are carried out in container, swap bodies, semi-trailers and road sets. The most frequently used loading unit is the container. Semi-trailers is the most often used loading unit in road freight transport. However, semitrailers are rarely used in intermodal transport in most European countries. In the case of Poland, the share of intermodal transport of containers and swap bodies by rail constitutes a significant share in the European market, however, the transport of semi-trailers and road sets is still a rather unpopular form of transport compared to other European countries.

Optimizing inland container logistics through dry ports: A two-stage stochastic mixed-integer programming approach considering volume discounts and consolidation in rail transport

It is essential for container shipping companies to plan for the optimum number and locations of dry ports as well as efficient inland container logistics operations to reduce costs and environmental impacts while improving customer service. The plan for optimum inland container transportation network design must account for demand uncertainty to eliminate financial difficulty due to redundant investment. In this regard, this study proposed a two-stage stochastic mixed-integer programming model for optimizing inland container logistics through dry ports. The model contributes to the state of the art in current research by including a piecewise-linear cost function for railway transportation to account for volume discounts, integrating full container scheduling with transport mode selection and empty container relocation for consolidation, and reflecting the fact that the amount of import and export full containers transported between customers (consignees and consignors) and seaports are exogenously decided. The solution results demonstrated the definite performance superiority of the progressive hedging algorithm over the extensive form solution. Additionally, the value of stochastic solution calculation showed that the application of stochastic solution might result in significant cost savings compared to the application of mean value deterministic solution. The proposed model can be applied for practical necessities to design robust optimum inland container logistics operations using intermodal rail transport with the progressive hedging algorithm as an efficient solution approach.

Prospects for the Development of Intermodal Transport in the Visegrad Countries, Germany and Italy - Selected Aspects

The article presents the results of research on the possibilities of developing intermodal rail transport in the Visegrad Group countries, Italy and Germany. The research was conducted based on statistical data regarding demand for transport in intermodal cargo units and rail transport. Selected elements of transport infrastructure were taken into account as well, i.e. the length of railway tracks and railway lines (including electrified ones), the railway line density indicator, and the number of terminals. The study results proved that there was a noticeable development of infrastructure in Hungary which makes it a prospective market, affording the possibility for development of domestic and international transport. The biggest decrease for railway transport was observed in Germany and Poland. In the same time, in Poland there was observed the biggest increase in demand for intermodal container units (ICUs). The inverse relationship between demand for railway transport and ICUs is observed in most countries. Only in Czechia there was a parallel increase observed. It has been observed that linear and point infrastructure requires investment in electrification in most countries surveyed. These investments are important due to handling the needs of foreign trade. With the growing demand for transport and developed infrastructure, the intermodal rail transport will be able to compete with road transport. This process is consistent with the need to ensure green transport and modify transport structure into the environmental friendly one.

Integrated optimization of transfer station selection and train timetables for road–rail intermodal transport network

In this study, we investigate the integrated optimization of container transfer station selection and train timetables for a road–rail intermodal transport network based on the transport organization mode of improved passenger-like container trains. The aim is to achieve a prompt response from train timetables for freight transportation needs to improve the quality of the timetable. The problem is formulated as a mixed-integer nonlinear programming problem, and a multiobjective bi-level optimization model is proposed with the objectives of increasing the average utilization ratio of the rail capacity and decreasing the number of road–rail transfer stations, transport costs, and transport delay penalty costs. To improve the quality of the Pareto solutions, a grid-based adaptive artificial bee colony (GBA-ABC) algorithm is designed to solve the model of a road–rail network with multicommodity flows. As a case study, the model is applied to the high-speed railway network in China and the China–Europe transcontinental railway network. The results show that the integrated optimization approach yields train timetables that can simultaneously reduce the transportation costs and the transportation delay penalty costs, with a rail capacity utilization rate of above 79.57%. Concurrently, it is beneficial for solving robust solutions under different case scales, demonstrating the effectiveness of the model and the algorithm. Finally, the proposed algorithm is experimentally compared with other multiobjective metaheuristics algorithms and is found to exhibit superior performance.

Maturity of Polish Rail Intermodal Transport as Compared to Selected EU Countries: A Comparative Analysis

Maturity of Polish Rail Intermodal Transport as Compared to Selected EU Countries: A Comparative Analysis

EVALUATION OF THE INNOVATIVE VALUE PROPOSITION FOR THE RAIL FREIGHT TRANSPORT: AN INTEGRATED DEMATEL–ANP APPROACH

Freight transport represents a very dynamic and competitive market with high requirements for reliability, lead time, cost, flexibility and visibility of transport service. Rationalization of transport service, reduced travelling time and reliable delivery times represent the main prerequisites for lowering the costs and increasing the efficiency of entire transport chain. These performance indicators actually represent the main factors affecting the shipper’s mode choice. Improvement of these factors could be achieved by improved coordination between rail and non-rail-related stakeholders involved in freight transport service planning and realization. Since this solution requires a multi-stakeholder collaboration, it is needed to evaluate the interests of each of them in order to derive a preferred set of indicators, which will facilitate a collectively accepted solution and value alignment of all involved actors. In this paper, the preferred set of indicators was selected by using the DEcision MAking Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) model technique integrated with the Analytic Network Process (ANP). DEMATEL is applied to analyse the causal relationships among the relevant dimensions and among the criteria within each dimension. The causal relationships are then used in ANP for determining the weights of the criteria. An empirical case study based on implementation of information sharing platform in rail intermodal transport chain is presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach. Based on this study the attributes that belong to reliability (“departing / arriving on-time”, “cancelled services”), lead time (“idle time”) and investment cost (“organizational culture”, “business process redesign”) dimensions represent five the most critical factors for obtaining a collectively accepted solution. This effective evaluation model enables policy makers and stakeholders in transportation / logistics to understand and conduct appropriate actions towards fulfilling the objectives for greener transportation.

Investigating the Practices, Problems, and Policies for Port Sea–Rail Intermodal Transport in China

Intermodalism is currently a mainstream mode of international transport because of its operational efficiency and cost-effectiveness compared with unimodal transport. In 2011, the Chinese government launched port sea–rail intermodal transport (PIT) projects to promote and facilitate its transport system. As a result, seaports are now ruling the waves of sea–rail intermodal transport in China. However, barriers have occurred in many parts of the system from transport sectors to government departments, challenging the accessibility, connectivity, and accountability of the intermodal system. This paper investigates the various parties that are involved in PIT, and aims to outline its development, including its present status, bottlenecks, and other influential elements. Through a questionnaire survey and content analysis, the main problems are identified as lack of institutional design and system regulation, resistance from the rail sector, insufficient cooperation and investment, and a fragmented information system. Policy recommendations are addressed through a three-step administrative framework: (a) unification of international regulations and standards; (b) rail sector reform for better alignment with other transport sectors; (c) incentive policies for enterprises instead of direct subsidies.

Assessing the Environmental Benefits of Dry Port Usage: A Case of Inland Container Transport in Turkey

Inland transportation of maritime freight conducted by trucks creates extensive emissions. These emissions can be mitigated by using intermodal-rail transport through dry ports. In that regard, this study evaluated the environmental benefits of dry port usage by using discrete event simulation modelling. The results show that the current level of dry port-based intermodal transportation decreases greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 5.79% compared to transportation of all containers on the road. Evaluating the impact of the electrified railway line on the GHG emissions revealed unexpected results; the electrification of the railway line would decrease GHG emissions only by 0.06%. The improvements in empty container movement and scheduling slightly reduced GHG emissions by 0.69% and 0.63% respectively, however, highest GHG emissions reduction resulted from modal shift by 6.56%. This study extended the previous literature by assessing not only the environmental benefits of dry port usage but also its effects on train capacity usage, while taking the empty container movement into account.

Optimising load planning and container routing in intermodal rail transport

Due to the geographical distance between producers and consumers, the impact of our current transport system on the environment is considerable. In an ideal, more sustainable transport system, several complementary transport modes are available, so that the most suitable route can always be selected. Because multiple transport modes and operators are involved, decision processes become more complex. That is why this research focuses on the development of innovative transport systems with realistic characteristics and planning limitations, in order to stimulate intermodal transport. Two planning tools have been developed to support decisions made by intermodal transport planners. It concerns on the one hand the integration of intermodal short and long distance routing and on the other hand the loading planning of trains. Both tools consist of fast planning algorithms that can handle realistic problem properties and can be integrated into transport management systems. The objective is to minimize transport costs and to make maximum use of available transport capacity.

Experiences of rail intermodal freight transport for low-density high value (LDHV) goods in Europe

ObjectivePrevious studies have suggested an upward growth trend in low density, high value (LDHV) goods in Europe. Such goods require time sensitive, reliable services and currently, most LDHV goods are transported by road. The paper presents the findings of four case studies which detail the barriers and enablers to intermodal rail services for transporting LDHV goods.MethodologyWe applied a methodological pluralism, quantitative and qualitative, on an inductive basis. Using a case study approach, the research investigates the requirements of shippers, identifies key barriers to intermodal rail service offerings and, based on the findings, suggests enablers for intermodal rail freight transport. The current research applies parallel top down and bottom up streams, with a final integration synthesis.FindingsTerminals may appear as an important barrier or enabler towards achieving a competitive intermodal rail service. By making rail terminal as an enabler, the research suggests that it is possible to carry LDHV goods by intermodal rail in a cost-efficient manner. The research attempts to seek a potential innovative solution to the barriers identified. The research compares road with an intermodal rail-road solution, in terms of cost and time, for a door-to-door service along the selected routes/corridors.RecommendationThe research recommends that technical solutions, such as automated transhipment and temperature controlled systems, are required for rail freight services for LDHV goods, but that they must be complemented by collaborative operational solutions and viable service planning for an intermodal rail transport service to be reliable and competitive with road transport.

Modeling and optimization of a road–rail intermodal transport system under uncertain information

A realistic road–rail intermodal transport system can be suitably modeled as a hub-and-spoke (H&S) network for which the parameters are subject to fuzzy uncertainty: demand, cost and time. For modeling uncertainty, we present a bi-objective optimization formulation for the hub-and-spoke based road–rail intermodal transportation (HS-RRIT) network design problem by taking into account the expected value criterion and the critical value criterion. Using the weighted sum method, we reformulate a single-objective mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) model to solve the equivalent HS-RRIT network design problem. Given the inherent complexity for solving this problem, we develop a memetic algorithm (MA) to obtain high quality solutions. This algorithm utilizes a genetic search method to explore the search space and two different local search strategies called shift and exchange to exploit information in the search region. Finally, we conduct computational analysis over the Turkish network data set to demonstrate the applicability of proposed model and the effectiveness of solution method.

The impact of the transport policies on marketing charges in the rail transport comparisons between the European Union member states

In recent years, the European Union devoted much attention to the transformation of a common rail market. This paper, therefore, focuses on intermodal rail transport in Slovenia. Subsidising intermodal rail transport in Slovenia between Austria and German is a current practice. The European Commission has studied internalising external costs for several years. In our research, we have conducted a review of the situation in the field of marketing for the use of public rail infrastructure in Slovenia. We suggest that the price of rail infrastructure charges gradually increase so that the funds obtained from marketing charges in 2020 accounts for half of the funds needed for the purpose of maintaining existing public rail infrastructure. However, investments in the modernisation of rail infrastructure are also crucial. Modernisation is the only way to ensure the competitiveness of rail transport services in the future.

The challenge of appropriate hub terminal and hub-and-spoke network development for seaports and intermodal rail transport in Europe

To achieve the modal shift projected by public transport policies, intermodal rail transport needs to improve its performance in order to become more attractive. Hub-and-spoke (HS) bundling is an option to improve its performance. It potentially increases the attractiveness of intermodal rail freight services, also for flows that are too small to fill a direct train on the required frequency level. HS bundling can be carried out in different ways (types of hubs, trains and operations). Only some of them lead to competitive transport services. This paper argues that – in many situations – the best HS network employs terminal hubs and shuttle trains, and that the hub terminal should be a real hub terminal. A real hub terminal is designed to fulfil its main function, rail-rail transhipment, effectively and efficiently.Despite their apparent advantages HS networks with real hub terminals are penetrating the market at a very slow pace. The paper discusses major barriers for a faster implementation, and advocates a change of perception of rail operators, and also of public transport policies. It is recommended that the development of hub terminals is supported by public vision-making and cooperative or more centralised network design within the sector.

İntermodal Demiryolu Taşımacılığı: Türkiye İçin Fırsatlar ve Tehditler

With the increase in transport activities both in the world andTurkey, certain negative effects resulting from this traffic increase, such astraffic congestion, accidents, environmental and noise pollution is becomingmore apparent. Therefore more economical, safer, faster environmentallyfriendly transport systems are needed. As a result, this need has led to thedevelopment of intermodal transport systems using two or more transportmodes together. Intermodal rail transport is one of these systems. Due to thefact that rail transport requires less energy and it is more environmentallyfriendly it is recognized as an important alternative especially to reduce theproblems resulting from road transport. For this reason, the use ofintermodal rail transport has increased both in the EU and Turkey recently.The main aim of this study is to reveal opportunities and threats forintermodol rail transportation in Turkey by considering the related currentdevelopments in transportation industry. It is concluded that with thederegulation in the rail transport sector in Turkey in 2013, considerableopportunities in intermodal transport have appeared but at the same timenumber of risks and threats have avoided those opportunities.

Assessing the Effects of Longer Vehicles: The Case of Pre- and Post-haulage in Intermodal Transport Chains

The demand for inland freight transport in Europe is mainly met by road transport, leading to unsustainable impacts such as air pollution, greenhouse gas emissions and congestion. Since rail transport has lower externalities than road transport, a modal shift from road to rail is an accepted policy goal for achieving a more sustainable and competitive transport system. However, intermodal road–rail transport is mainly competitive for long-distance transport, and as a consequence, the potential for modal shift is limited. The cost efficiency of road–rail intermodal transport is particularly sensitive to pre- and post-haulage (PPH) costs, since this activity typically has a larger cost compared with its share of the total distance in the transport chain. For intermodal transportation over shorter distances, for example, below 300 km and where there are substantial PPH activities at both ends of the chain, the competitiveness of the intermodal transport system compared with that of direct road is low. Improving the efficiency of PPH activities is, therefore, of utmost importance for the competitiveness of the intermodal transport system. This paper looks into the issue of improving the cost efficiency of an intermodal transport chain by implementing an innovative and flexible legal framework regarding the PPH activities in the chain. By extending the legal framework with exemptions for longer vehicles in PPH, the cost efficiency could be greatly improved. The purpose of such a framework is to allow and enable, for PPH exclusively, the use of 2 × 40 foot or even two semi-trailers using only one vehicle in the context of the Swedish regulatory framework. This paper develops a strategic calculation model for assessing and investigating the consequences of such a framework and investigates the framework's potential in terms of cost efficiency. The model in combination with a sensitivity analysis of input variables gives a comprehensive understanding of the effects of PPH under different circumstances. From the results, it is evident that there are substantial positive effects associated with a PPH framework of longer vehicles. Results indicate that a typical shipper may experience cost reductions of about 5–10% of the total costs of the intermodal transport chain. In summary, a more innovative and flexible legal framework regarding vehicle length in the PPH links can contribute to a greater modal shift, improved cost efficiency and more environmentally friendly transportation systems.

Distance and time in intermodal goods transport networks in Europe: A generic approach

This paper is about distance and time as factors of competitiveness of intermodal transport. It reviews the relevance of the factors, evaluates time models in practice, compares network distances and times in alternative bundling networks with geometrically varied layouts, and points out how these networks perform in terms of vehicle scale, frequency and door-to-door time. The analysis focuses on intermodal transport in Europe, especially intermodal rail transport, but is in search for generic conclusions. The paper does not incorporate the distance and time results in cost models, and draws conclusions for transport innovation, wherever this is possible without cost modelling. For instance, the feature vehicle scale, an important factor of transport costs, is analysed and discussed. Distance and time are important factors of competitiveness of intermodal transport. They generate (direct) vehicle costs and – via transport quality – indirect costs to the customers. Clearly direct costs/prices are the most important performance of the intermodal transport system. The relevance of quality performances is less clarified. Customers emphasise the importance of a good match between the transport and the logistic system. In this framework (time) reliability is valued high. Often transport time, arrival and departure times, and frequency have a lower priority. But such conclusions can hardy be generalised. The range of valuations reflects the heterogeneity of situations. Some lack of clarity is obviously due to overlapping definitions of different performance types. The following parts of the paper are about two central fields of network design, which have a large impact on transport costs and quality, namely the design of vehicle roundtrips (and acceleration of transport speed) and the choice of bundling type: do vehicles provide direct services or run in what we call complex bundling networks? An example is the hub-and-spoke network. The objective of complex bundling is to increase vehicle scale and/or transport frequency even if network volumes are restricted. Complex bundling requires intermediate nodes for the exchange of load units. Examples of complex bundling networks are the hub-and-spoke network or the line network. Roundtrip and bundling design are interrelated policy fields: an acceleration of the roundtrip speed, often desirable from the cost point of view, can often only be carried out customer friendly, if the transport frequency is increased. But often the flow size is not sufficient for a higher frequency. Then a change of bundling model can be an outcome. Complex bundling networks are known to have longer average distances and times, the latter also due to the presence of additional intermediate exchange nodes. However, this disadvantage is – inside the limits of maximal vehicle sizes – overruled by the advantage of a restricted number of network links. Therefore generally, complex bundling networks have shorter total vehicle distances and times. This expression of economies of scale implies lower vehicle costs per load unit. The last part of the paper presents door-to-door times of load units of complex bundling networks and compares them with unimodal road transport. The times of complex bundling networks are larger than that of networks with direct connections, but nevertheless competitive with unimodal road transport, except for short distances.

Evaluating road–rail intermodal transport services – a heuristic approach

The aim of this paper is to develop an approach for evaluating intermodal transport solutions based on a road–rail interconnection that incorporates mathematical and heuristic procedures and with regard to data collection challenges and difficulties. The approach is dedicated to the design of a road–rail intermodal transport system taking into consideration goods flow opportunities and requirements. The approach incorporates a model that focuses on evaluating road–rail intermodal transport services that maximises the attraction of goods flows within a particular frame of restrictions. As a result, it can help identify potential relations and routes for road–rail intermodal transport services by evaluating the potential outcome of alternative solutions. Empirical research shows that there are substantial savings to be made by designing road–rail intermodal transport solutions in a systematic way with regard to opportunities and requirements by shippers and the structure of goods flows.