High-Capacity Transport Associated with Pre- and Post-Haulage in Intermodal Road-Rail Transport

This paper develops a model for analyzing the potential of longer and heavier vehicles (LHVs) related to pre- and post-haulage in the intermodal rail-road transport chain (IRT). The paper considers the combined economic and emission costs among three different transport networks including intermodal rail-road transport with current Swedish regulatory framework for trucks, intermodal rail-road transport with LHVs, and direct-road transport. The objective is to analyse the potential of high-capacity transport associated with pre- and post-haulage for enhancing the competitiveness of intermodal transport from a full-costs perspective. The model developed is applied to a Swedish context and case study. Research findings reveal that the break-even of the IRT compared to the direct road transport could be significantly lowered, which suggests the LHVs contribute to exploring the market of IRT over smaller flows.

Modelling Dry Port Systems in the Framework of Inland Waterway Container Terminals

Overcoming the global sustainability challenges of logistics requires applying solutions that minimize the negative effects of logistics activities.The most efficient way of doing so is through intermodal transportation(IT).Current IT systems rely mostly on road,rail,and sea transport,not inland waterway transport.Developing dry port(DP)terminals has been proven as a sustainable means of promoting and utilizing IT in the hinterland of seaport container terminals.Conventional DP systems consolidate container flows from/to seaports and integrate road and rail transportation modes in the hinterland which improves the sustainability of the whole logistics system.In this article,to extend literature on the sustainable development of different categories of IT terminals,especially DPs,and their varying roles,we examine the possibility of developing DP terminals within the framework of inland waterway container terminals(IWCTs).Establishing combined road–rail–inland waterway transport for observed container flows is expected to make the IT systems sustainable.As such,this article is the first to address the modelling of such DP systems.After mathematically formulating the problem of modelling DP systems,which entailed determining the number and location of DP terminals for IWCTs,their capacity,and their allocation of container flows,we solved the problem with a hybrid metaheuristic model based on the Bee Colony Optimisation(BCO)algorithmand themeasurement of alternatives and ranking according to compromise solution(i.e.,MARCOS)multi-criteria decision-making method.The results from our case study of the Danube region suggest that planning and developingDP terminals in the framework of IWCTs can indeed be sustainable,as well as contribute to the development of logistics networks,the regionalisation of river ports,and the geographic expansion of their hinterlands.Thus,the main contributions of this article are in proposing a novel DP concept variant,mathematically formulating the problems of its modelling,and developing an encompassing hybrid metaheuristic approach for treating the complex nature of the problem adequately.

The Role of Short Sea Shipping Concept in Black SeaRegion as a Connection between Eurasian TransportSystems

Despite of fluctuations in world trade as a result of economic cycles,the evolution of the political processes remains the trend of sustained growth of trade flows.This ends up in a rise in both the demand for logistics services and the requirements for them.In this sense,the critically important is the strategic development of the transport systems as a support for the improvement of competitive logistics.An important aspect is the promotion of multimodal transport,which in search of the best transport solutions will reduce the use of relatively expensive and environmentally unfriendly road transportation.This will be at the expense of the efficient combination of different modes in which the concept of short sea shipping(SSS)occupies a central place.Although this concept is widely applied in many places in the Black Sea,it still has significant potential.It was prompted by stagnation in economic relations as a result of political and economic crises in the region since the late twentieth and early twenty-first century.To evaluate the potential of the concept in the development of transport is done research on intermodal logistics network in the logistics corridor Central Asia-Central Europe.To optimize intermodal transport links a comparative analysis of the various transport alternatives on the route Tehran-Budapest is done.On this basis it is made optimization assessment on three main criteria cost,delivery time and environmental protection and basic recommendations on strategic planning development of the Bulgarian transport infrastructure are given.An essential aspect is the encouragement of multimodal transportation,which in looking for the best transport solutions can cut back the utilization of comparatively costly and environmentally harmful road transportation.This would be at the expense of the adequate combination of different modes of transportation in which the concept of SSS has a fundamental area.Despite this concept is widely applied in various regions,in the Black Sea it still has an important future due to stagnation in economic relations as a result of political confrontations and economic crises within the region since the late twentieth and early twenty-first century.To assess the capability of the concept in the development of transport is done research on intermodal logistics network in the logistics corridor Central Asia-Central Europe.To improve intermodal transport links a comparative analysis of the various transport options on the routes Astana-Budapest and Tehran-Budapest are made.On this basis it is proposed an optimization assessment on three main criteria cost,delivery time and environmental protection,and fundamental suggestions on strategic development of the Bulgarian transport infrastructure are proposed.

ComplexTrans-Global Rail-Road Transportation System Economical and Clustered Individual and Individualised Public Transport also Prevents the Spread of Covid 19

Land transport can no longer meet the requirements.European transport can be described by these words−crowded motorways and cities,dangerous emissions,ubiquitous traffic accidents,delays,expensive railways.Solutions are being sought to transfer a large part of passengers and especially freight transport to(high-speed)rail,and efforts are moving towards electromobility,car-sharing,5G-connectivity,autonomous driving,MaaS(Mobility as a Service)-coordinated transport or hyperloop-type solutions.However,all these solutions have additional challenges and limitations.Solutions are not being searched where they really exist-in the mutual adaptation of road and rail vehicles and their deep cooperation.The ComplexTrans project shows that simply adapting the dimensions and functions of road and rail vehicles can eliminate(or at least significantly reduce)all the problems of existing land transport.The main features of the ComplexTrans system are sufficient parking spaces,reduction of urban and non-urban congestion,electric vehicles with unlimited range and cheaper than standard cars,cheaper and more accessible battery charging,“autonomous ride”,solving the overlap between passenger and freight rail transport and making it self-financing,transferring intercity freight transport to rail,replacing part of continental air transport and many others.The cost-effective and clustered individual transport and individualised public transport of the ComplexTrans system also bring very significant reductions in the risk of transmission of covid-19 and other contagious diseases during transport.

Incorporating transportation network modeling tools within transportation economic impact studies of disasters

Transportation system disruption due to a disaster results in ＂ripple effects＂ throughout the entire transportation system of a metropolitan region. Many researchers have focused on the economic costs of transportation system disruptions in transportation-related industries, specifically within commerce and logistics, in the assessment of the regional economic costs. However, the foundation of an assessment of the regional economic costs of a disaster needs to include the evaluation of consumer surplus in addition to the direct cost for reconstruction of the regional transportation system. The objective of this study is to propose a method to estimate the regional consumer surplus based on indirect economic costs of a disaster on intermodal transportation systems in the context of diverting vehicles and trains. The computational methods used to assess the regional indirect economic costs sustained by the highway and railroad system can utilize readily available state departments of transportation （DOTs） and metropolitan planning organizations （MPOs） traffic models allowing prioritization of regional recovery plans after a disaster and strengthening of infrastructure before a disaster. Hurricane Katrina is one of the most devastating hurricanes in the history of the United States. Due to the significance of Hurricane Katrina, a case study is presented to evaluate consumer surplus in the Gulf Coast Region of Mississippi. Results from the case study indicate the costs of rerouting and congestion delays in the regional highway system and the rent costs of fight-of-way in the regional railroad system are major factors of the indirect costs in the consumer surplus.