Hybrid algorithm for the optimization of multimodal freight transport services: maritime application

The role of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in freight transport as key enabler is well recognised. However the uptake of recent ICT advances for multimodal freight transport provisions in the UK and Europe has been slow. The aim of our paper is to explore the potential reasons for such a slow adoption and assess how recent technological advances such as cloud computing and Internet of Things might have changed the landscape and thus help to overcome these barriers. Via an extensive review of 33 EU framework programme projects, we are able to consolidate and present current major efforts in ICT developments in the freight multimodal transport setting at European level. We further discuss barriers inhibiting quick take-up of ICT applications in multimodal transport. Resolutions were then explored by reviewing four key ICT development trends recently emerging and evaluating their potential impact in reducing such barriers for deployment. Our contribution is two-fold: it advances current knowledge by presenting an up-to-date overview of existing and emerging ICT applications in the field of multimodal transport and barriers to e-enabled multimodal transport. It also captures some of the best practices in industry and aims to provoke a debate among practitioners and academics via the analysis of how innovative use of recent technological developments could potentially lower the barriers to multimodal ICT adoption and lead to a more integrated freight transport network. Therefore it lays the foundation for further research.

Background. The article provides an overview of the current state of the railway container transportation market. Statistical data on the container transportation market is presented and analyzed. The article provides an overview of the work aimed at improving the organization of container transportation by rail. A generalized scheme of container delivery using rail transport is developed. The key objectives aimed at ensuring the reliability of container delivery are identified, and the main factors affecting the speed of container delivery are systematized. A mathematical expression of the delivery time of a container for the conditions of a direct option of transshipment from one mode of transport to another and taking into account the processing and storage of cargo at the terminal. Formulated the problem of optimizing the delivery scheme of containers in multimodal transportation in the conditions of the presence of several options of container terminals, their location. At the same time, according to the conditions of the formulated task, one processing of containers at the terminal is provided. A decision support system for changing the method of transportation of container products in multimodal transportation is proposed. Conclusions are drawn about the prospects of using the proposed system by transport and logistics companies. The purpose is to identify options for ensuring the flow and uninterrupted movement of container flows during multimodal transportation. Methodology. The article used an analysis of the current situation in the field of container transportation, mathematical modeling of container delivery time, optimization of the container delivery scheme based on the decision to overload the container at each terminal, and formulated a decision support system for delivery management. Results. The state of container transportation involving rail transport is determined, the analysis of studies in the field of container transportation using rail transport is performed, the directions of ensuring the reliability of container delivery are identified. A decision support system for multimodal container transportation is proposed. Practical implications. The results obtained can be used in the railway container transportation system, as well as by freight forwarding, operator, and transport and logistics companies.

In 2021, economic losses due to supply chain disruptions in the Eurozone amounted to €112.7 billion Euro: Natural catastrophes (e.g., hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, and wildfires) multiply in the wake of climate change. The risks of pandemics, trade restrictions, cyber-attacks, and geopolitical conflicts are omnipresent. Hence, the threat of disruptive events to the European transport network grows ever greater. Additionally, GHG emissions can drastically increase by up to 50% if disruptions are not treated efficiently. Here, the project “Resilient multimodal freight transport network” (ReMuNet) comes into play: ReMuNet will enable the multimodal freight network to react and respond 20% more quickly to disruptive events and help to reduce European inland transport emissions on the main run by over 50% by 2026. As a trailblazer for the Physical Internet, the project pursues the vision to enable and incentivize synchro-modal relay-transport on European rail, road, and inland waterways to increase holistic network resilience. ReMuNet can identify and signal disruptive events and assess their impact on multimodal transport corridors. It reacts quickly to disruptive events in real time. It supports TMS providers to improve route planning resilience by communicating alternative, pre-defined, multimodal transport routes. ReMuNet orchestrates route utilization, suggests transshipment points, and optimizes capacity allocation, minimizing damage and shortening the recovery time. This paper introduces ReMuNet and its vision, objectives, and expected results.

Allocating collaborative costs in multimodal barge networks for freight bundling

Summary. The article highlights the topical issue of development of container multimodal transport, which are a priority in the development of transport services, their use will increase the volume of cargo delivered to the destination by the most efficient modes of transport (their combination). Container transportation of goods significantly reduces the cost of delivery of goods from producers to consumers. Container transportation has become the most economical without transhipment technology, and, above all, in the intercontinental multimodal land-sea service. The aim of the work is to study the practical aspects, substantiate practical recommendations for the logistics of multimodal container transportation of goods in global supply chains. Conduct at comparative analysis of the implementation of multimodal container traffic in different containers, namely 20 and 40 feet. The analysis and calculations of the data of container transportation processes for the conditions of two international transport corridors: TRACECA and trans-Caspian international transport route are carried out. The cost of transportation by sea, although their number is small relative to the total share of routes, significantly affects the total cost of transportation. In order to stimulate freight traffic on these routes, member states have set discounts of up to 10% of the cost of the ferry fare. Studies suggest that the use of multimodal container traffic is currently economically feasible. The conducted research of practical aspects and substantiation of practical recommendations on logistics of multimodal container transportation of goods in global supply chains suggests that the use of container transportation is a way of delivery today using multimodal options for delivery of goods. An in-depth comparative analysis of the implementation of multimodal container traffic in different containers, namely 20 and 40 feet, allows us to conclude that the use of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TMTM) with a 20-foot container is a more economically attractive option and can be recommended.

The twin paradigm of e-commerce and just-in-time has impelled the global markets for door-to-door service. Shippers do not particularly seek special modes of transport but rather demand performance of transport such as door-to-door service from the multimodal transport service (MTS) operators. Door-to-door service has also led to shift in common terms of trade such as free on board (FOB) and cost insurance freight (CIF) to delivery at place (DAP) or delivery duty paid (DDP) International Commercial Terms (incoterms). In such a case, the sellers are required to plan end-to-end rather than concentrate on port-to-port leg of the delivery process. Multimodal transportation (MMT) includes multiple modes of transport, multiple nodes (terminals) and numerous stakeholders. So far, researchers have focused on the attributes of MTS providers that affect expectations of customers. The present study looks into factors affecting performance of MTS. The approach cuts across the spectrum of qualitative to quantitative assessment. The authors, here, propose opinion mining to decipher the sentiments of clients of logistics service providers followed by open discussion (in a semi-structured format) to collate the soft and hard aspects of MMT chain. The findings of these exercises are used to frame a structured questionnaire for quantitative analysis. Four dimensions affecting quality of MMT have been identified, and one of them is found to be significant only under certain conditions. This article suggests implementation of an integrated digital ecosystem to enhance the quality of MMT in emerging markets like India.

Improving freight transportation performance through sustainability best practices

Advantages of specific modes of transport can be best take by employing various technologies of combined transport. In the up-to-date logistic schemes based on the “just-in-time” and “just-in-sequence” concepts, it is most appropriate to use railway service and inland water connection as the most environmentally friendly and effective modes designed and built for medium- and long-distance freight transportation. The development strategy of the Russian Federation’s inland water transport for the period until 2030 is aimed at providing conditions under which to improve the sustainability of domestic transport system with due regard to shifting the balance between transport modes by switching some portion of cargo traffic from overland modes of transport to inland water transport. The article considers the essence of multimodal and intermodal transportation. It is note that multimodal transportation is most favorable for the environment. The main goods supplied through intermodal transport are list. The technology of intermodal transport using water compounds in the Russian Federation and Europe is considered. The role of the state in the development of intermodal transport is investigate.

The role of logistics service provider (LSP) is essential for efficient logistics service quality (LSQ) and supply chain management, especially in multimodal transport. Multimodal transport routes that use the Trans-Siberian Railway (TSR) play an important role in the supply chains of Northeast Asia. This paper aims to identify current conditions of TSR LSQ and propose improvements to enhance the competitiveness of traditional routes. Therefore, this study sheds light on and provides recommendations for various managerial strategies to LSPs in the context of the TSR. This study utilizes Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA) to measure levels of importance and performance of the logistics service of LSPs that provide multimodal transport services via the TSR from South Korea to Europe. This study identifies capabilities on the basis of five criteria (price, timeliness, reliability, equipment systems, and customer service) from a customers’ perspective. The results of the research indicate that operational improvements should be considered to activate TSR multimodal transport for northern logistics routes from the perspective of Korean shippers. Specific findings show that balanced development strategies are needed for logistics routes that have not yet been significantly activated, while implying that logistics costs could be reduced initially to satisfy shippers. This study presents an operational strategy for LSPs using the TSR in northern logistics through IPA methods. Furthermore, this research can help policymakers propose specific policies to revitalize the northern logistics of Korean logistics companies and to provide incentive supports for shippers.

In order to further reduce the cost of road freight transport, the influence of the railway freight transport reformation on Ningbo road general freight transport industry are analyzed based on the review of background and core contents of the reformation. As a result, the railway freight reform will bring more cooperation opportunities than competition, which created new opportunities for Ningbo to build a comprehensive land transport system and the development of logistics services. From the standpoint of cooperation-competition development, multimodal transport and the transformation of modern logistics, countermeasures are proposed for the transport of less-than-truckload freight on road.

Freight transport is constantly growing and the forecast is that this trend will continue in the future. The sustainable development of transport requires the development of activities, which yield higher economic and social results while at the same time reduce the negative impact on the environment. In the long term, the sustainable development of transport activities is complex and tied to enormous challenges, difficulties and barriers, related to the development of the technological environment, the social and economic development, the influence of political factors and regulations. One of the central perspectives for the development of the freight transport in Europe is the development of multimodal and intermodal transport. The present chapter reviews some essential issues about the conditions for interaction between the modes of freight transport and the main challenges this kind of transport faces. An overview has been made of the main characteristics of organization and technology in multimodal and intermodal transport, and the related to them commodal and synchro modal transport that have appeared in recent years, as well as the physical internet concept. The application and barriers for modern use of information and communication technologies in multimodal and intermodal transport has been reviewed. An overview of the development of multimodal and intermodal transport in Bulgaria in accordance with the development of international transport corridors that pass through the country is carried out. A mathematical model has been developed on the basis of multicriteria optimization with three criteria: direct costs, time and external costs. The transport scheme is presented as an oriented graph line with each point corresponding to a node and each road, connecting nodes i and j, to an oriented weighted rib (i, j) in the graph. Weight cij is directly connected to the three criteria set. We assume that on each rib transport can be carried out by three modes: waterway, road and rail. If there is no physical connection, the respective weight is assumed to be an infinitely large number. Pareto optimal solutions have been determined under conditions for integer variables and application of a weighting method. To verify the model, a specific task for providing multimodal transport has been solved with the help of Matlab R2017b software and the optimization functions built into the product have been found to be optimal under Pareto solutions, using heuristic approaches for solving a partially integer linear optimization problem.KeywordsMultimodal transportThree-criteria optimizationInternal costRoute and time optimizationFreight and passenger transportation

The advantage of multimodal transport is that it can deliver the goods to their destination in a reasonable combination of transport modes while ensuring security and punctuality. Multimodal transportation can effectively reduce logistics costs, improve logistics efficiency, and reduce environmental pollution. In the process of multimodal transportation, due to the interference of natural factors (weather, terrain, etc.) and some special human factors, it may have different degrees of impact on the transportation time and transportation safety of different transportation modes. Therefore, when choosing a transportation method, it is necessary to consider the transportation time and transportation safety under the interference. However, the current research on multimodal transport has not considered the impact of external interference on transportation time and transportation safety. Compared with other modes of transportation, external interference has a relatively small impact on railway transportation. Railways can safely deliver goods to their destinations on time. Under the background of China’s huge railway network and advanced heavy-duty technology, this paper establishes a multimodal transport route selection model for considering railway as the core, introduces time penalty cost and damage compensation cost, and takes the lowest comprehensive transportation cost as the model objective under the premise of considering transportation reliability and transportation safety. Finally, taking a multimodal transport network in China as an example, an improved ant colony algorithm is used to solve the model and the results verify the rationality of the model.

To deal with the uncertainty of container multi-modal transport, a container multi-modal transport route optimization model based on the reliability is proposed. To deal with the problem that network has multiplicity and that node has weights in multi-modal transport, the paper pre-processes the multi-modal transport network to three-dimensional graph based on the transport mode, and uses the improved Dijkstra algorithm to get the K-th shortest path set which take transport time and transport cost as the main target. On this basis, we find out the reliability of the common paths, and figure out the path which has higher reliability. The simulation experiments take sea routes of China to Australia as the main route, prove the model and method can improve the reliability of transport, to a certain extent, can also reduce the loss of the consignor.

Current imbalance in freight share (96% roads vs. 4% railways) in Pakistan, is impacting the performance of highways and is causing under-utilization of existing railway network. Expected increased freight demand due to China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), necessitates a strategic shift towards multimodal freight transportation. With this background, this research provides a multidimensional analysis of strategies to enhance Pakistan Railways (PR) freight capacity by shifting calculated freight load from highways under CPEC scenario and examines their effects on the sustainability of transportation infrastructure owing to reduction in highways maintenance and rehabilitation (M&R) expenditure. Addressing the crucial issue of over-reliance on roads for freight transportation, this research employs economic indicators in statistical modeling to forecast freight demand. Three strategic railway freight capacity enhancement options have been proposed for 2025 and 2030. This study highlights that PR would be able to accommodate up to 24.07% of total freight by 2025 without compromising railway passenger load. Additionally, this study reveals that if the current freight share distribution remains unchanged, then highways M&R expenditure is expected to be increased by over 84%, by the year 2025, compared to the year 2015. However, highways M&R expenditure is expected to be reduced by 78.77% and 60.56% by the year 2025 and 2030, respectively, basing on the proposed freight load distribution strategies. This study would be highly beneficial for transportation agencies in optimal freight transportation management while ensuring efficient sustainability of transportation infrastructure, especially for the countries that have a high dependency on roads for freight transportation.

Lightweighting shipping containers: Life cycle impacts on multimodal freight transportation