Search Results (25)

Urban mobility in Bangkok is constrained by congestion, modal fragmentation, and gaps in First and Last Mile (FLM) access. This study develops a GIS-based framework that combines maximal-coverage location allocation with post-optimization accessibility diagnostics to inform intermodal hub siting. The network model compares one-, three-, and five-hub configurations using a 20 min coverage standard, and we conduct sensitivity tests at 15 and 25 min to assess robustness. Cumulative isochrones and qualitative overlays on BTS, MRT, SRT, Airport Rail Link, and principal water routes are used to interpret spatial balance, peripheral reach, and multimodal alignment. In the one-hub scenario, the model selects Pathum Wan as the optimal central node. Transitioning to a small multi-hub network improves geographic balance and reduces reliance on the urban core. The three-hub arrangement strengthens north–south accessibility but leaves the west bank comparatively underserved. The five-hub configuration is the most spatially balanced and network-consistent option, bridging the west bank and reinforcing rail interchange corridors while aligning proposed hubs with existing high-capacity lines and waterway anchors. Methodologically, the contribution is a transparent workflow that pairs coverage-based optimization with isochrone interpretation; substantively, the findings support decentralized, polycentric hub development as a practical pathway to enhance FLM connectivity within Bangkok’s current network structure. Key limitations include reliance on resident population weights that exclude floating or temporary populations, use of typical network conditions for travel times, a finite pre-screened candidate set, and the absence of explicit route choice and land-use intensity in the present phase. Full article

Intermodal transport (IT), which implies the combination of several different types of transport to achieve a more efficient and economical movement of goods, is of increasing importance in modern supply chains. In the conditions of globalization, growth of trade flows and increasingly pronounced requirements for sustainability, effective planning and management of intermodal routes have become crucial, which is why their evaluation and ranking are essential for making strategic and operational decisions. Accordingly, this paper aims to identify the most favorable alternative for developing intermodal transport. Deciding on the choice of the most important intermodal route requires consideration of a large number of criteria, often of a mutually conflicting nature, which places this problem in the domain of multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM). Accordingly, this paper develops a hybrid decision-making model in a fuzzy environment, which combines fuzzy DELPHI (FDELPHI), fuzzy factor relationship (FFARE), and fuzzy axial-distance-based aggregated measurement (FADAM) methods. The model enables the identification and evaluation of relevant criteria, as well as the ranking of defined variants under the requirements and attitudes of various stakeholders. The practical application and effectiveness of the developed model were demonstrated and confirmed by a case study for Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H). The sensitivity analysis showed that even with changes in the weights of the criteria or the elimination of the most important criteria, the solution remains consistent and reliable. This indicates the robustness of the model and suggests that changes in the parameters do not lead to significant changes in the final results. This confirms the validity of the proposed model and increases confidence in its applicability in practice. Full article

Biodiversity is essential for the health and stability of our planet, contributing to ecosystem services like pollination, nutrient cycling, and climate regulation. However, it faces significant threats from human activities, including habitat destruction and pollution. Transportation infrastructure, if not carefully managed, can fragment habitats and disrupt wildlife migration, exacerbating biodiversity loss. Thus, incorporating environmental and biodiversity considerations into transport planning is crucial for promoting long-term sustainability. Accordingly, the goal of this paper is to define a framework for evaluating and ranking intermodal transport routes based on their impact on the environment and biodiversity. The study employs a Geographic Information System (GIS)-based Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) model, combining input from interactive GIS maps and stakeholders with a novel hybrid approach. The MCDM part of the model combines fuzzy Delphi and fuzzy Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) methods for obtaining the criteria weights and the Axial Distance-based Aggregated Measurement (ADAM) method for obtaining the final ranking of the routes. This methodology application on several Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) routes revealed that the Hamburg/Bremerhaven–Wurzburg–Verona route had the least environmental and biodiversity impact. The study identified the Rotterdam–Milano route as the optimal choice, balancing sustainability, ecological preservation, and transport efficiency. The route minimizes ecological disruption, protects biodiversity, and aligns with European Union strategies to reduce environmental impact in infrastructure projects. The study established a framework for evaluating intermodal transport routes based on environmental and biodiversity impacts, balancing efficiency with ecological responsibility. It makes significant contributions by integrating biodiversity criteria into transport planning and introducing a novel combination of GIS and MCDM techniques for route assessment. Full article

Road–rail intermodal transportation (RRIT) leverages the advantages of multiple transport modes and is crucial for addressing the current issue of imbalanced development in the transportation sector. However, passengers’ behavior in choosing RRIT remains unclear, and it is necessary to optimize travel service quality through analyzing RRIT choice behavior based on user perceptions. This study designed a stated preference experiment that included both direct and multi-modal travel options. A hybrid choice model considering attitude variables was constructed, and four latent attitude variables—convenience, economy, comfort, and riskiness—were extracted to analyze their impact on intercity travel mode choice behavior under conditions of ticket booking uncertainty. The results revealed that the ticket booking success rate is a critical factor in travelers’ decision-making. Passengers tend to choose travel options with higher ticket booking success rates, even if it entails a slight increase in the ticket prices for the high-speed rail to high-speed rail transfer option. The attitude variables significantly influence intercity travel mode choice behavior, with travelers generally exhibiting a preference for risk avoidance in their travel options. Moreover, there are differences among various groups of travelers in their preferences and demands for the convenience, economy, and comfort aspects of travel options. These research findings can enhance our understanding of the key factors influencing the selection of RRIT services, thereby supporting RRIT designers and planners in improving service quality and facilitating the future growth of RRIT. Full article

Urban logistics face growing complexity as cities seek sustainable development pathways; one solution is integrating freight transportation with public transit. The purpose of this study is to evaluate current practices, identify gaps, and highlight opportunities for advancement in this field. Through a comprehensive literature review guided by four research questions, this study evaluates methodologies, vehicle choices, the application of intermodal containers, and the shared use of public transportation infrastructure for freight delivery. A meticulous search methodology was employed to select references, which were then analyzed and classified into two main tables. Findings reveal a progression from initial pilot projects and cost analyses to sophisticated planning and optimization challenges, with a focus on metro networks and buses. This study uncovers a predilection for certain research types, the utilization of varied transportation modes, underexplored intermodal container use, and an emerging emphasis on transshipment operations. The integration of freight and public transportation within urban settings is identified as a dynamic and diversifying field, with significant potential for contributing to sustainable urban development. We outline nine areas for future research, including the incorporation of external costs and congestion effects into optimization models, and the exploration of unmanned vehicles, thereby laying the groundwork for more inclusive and efficient urban logistics solutions. Full article

While high-speed rail (HSR) has achieved success in major cities in Europe and Asia, it is a new phenomenon in the US, and few studies on HSR in the US are available, especially from the users’ perspective. This study aims to fill the research gap by investigating the mode choice behavior in the Los Angeles and San Francisco corridor where HSR may soon become a feasible option. The impact of COVID-19 was also examined with regard to how people view modes of domestic travel and how their view may change. The geographic locations of travelers and the possible HSR characteristics in the US were also explored. Survey data of US travelers was collected on MTurk, which was analyzed using logistics regression and Two-Way MANOVA. The results indicated that convenience in transport, travel frequency, gender, mobility issues, income, and total travel time were determinants in the choice between HSR and air service, while travel frequency and total travel time were important in the choice between HSR and car transport. Most US travelers changed their views following COVID-19 in terms of domestic travel and exhibited a higher intention to travel by train and HSR. Geographic patterns were identified, such as people in the southern US were the most knowledgeable of HSR and had the greatest intention to use HSR, while people in the northeast exhibited the lowest intention. The findings indicate potential interest in HSR among US travelers, and offer much-needed empirical evidence for the potential success of HSR in the US. Full article

This study addresses the critical gap in the literature regarding the energy efficiency of intermodal terminals in smart cities, mainly focusing on crane operations during train loading processes. Novelty’s contribution lies in developing a comprehensive simulation model in FlexSim, where quantitative analysis of crane energy consumption, factoring in container location in the storage yard, rehandling operations, and crane movement strategies were performed. Moreover, the analysis of hoist, trolley, and gantry movements was performed to evaluate their impact on overall container loading process energy efficiency. The findings reveal that the choice of train loading method significantly influences crane energy consumption, thereby affecting the operational costs, environmental footprint, and energy efficiency of the logistics hub in the form of an intermodal terminal. This research provides a methodology for assessing and enhancing the energy efficiency of intermodal terminals and highlights the broader implications for smart city sustainability goals, including reduced greenhouse gas emissions, lower operating costs, and improved transportation infrastructure. The outcomes of this research can possibly support smart city planners and logistics managers in making informed decisions to optimise intermodal terminal operations, contributing to urban areas’ sustainable development and economic resilience. Full article

Aiming at the problem of multimodal transport path planning under uncertain environments, this paper establishes a multi-objective fuzzy nonlinear programming model considering mixed-time window constraints by taking cost, time, and carbon emission as optimization objectives. To solve the model, the model is de-fuzzified by the fuzzy expectation value method and fuzzy chance-constrained planning method. Combining the game theory method with the weighted sum method, a cooperative game theory-based multi-objective optimization method is proposed. Finally, the effectiveness of the algorithm is verified in a real intermodal network. The experimental results show that the proposed method can effectively improve the performance of the weighted sum method and obtain the optimal multimodal transport path that satisfies the time window requirement, and the path optimization results are better than MOPSO and NSGA-II, effectively reducing transportation costs and carbon emissions. Meanwhile, the influence of uncertainty factors on the multimodal transport route planning results is analyzed. The results show that the uncertain factors will significantly increase the transportation cost and carbon emissions and affect the choice of route and transportation mode. Considering uncertainty factors can increase the reliability of route planning results and provide a more robust and effective solution for multimodal transportation. Full article

Background: Finding trends in freight transportation activities enables businesses and policy makers to build an understanding of freight transportation patterns and their impact on logistics planning when making investments in a region’s transportation infrastructure and intermodal freight transport system. To the best of our knowledge, there is limited literature and data-driven analysis about trends in transportation mode choices and the influencing factors in Atlantic Canada. Methods: In this study, a data-driven method has been used to analyze the Canadian Freight dataset to identify trends in transportation activities within Maritime, Canada. Freight transportation mode, product categories, distance, number/weight of shipments, and revenue were examined. Results: The results revealed that the top five product categories exported from Atlantic provinces to the rest of Canada, the US, and Mexico are miscellaneous items, food products, forest products, minerals, and other manufactured goods, where Truck for Hire is the most deployed mode of transportation. A multiple linear regression analysis indicated that the weight, distance, and number of shipments are positively and rather strongly correlated with revenue generation. Conclusions: This study provides a unique overview of Canadian Freight Analysis Framework (CFAF) data with a focus on maritime activities. Full article

Transportation authorities have adopted more and more incentive measures (fare-free public transport, construction of park-and-ride facilities, etc.) to reduce the use of private cars by combining them with public transit. However, such measures remain difficult to assess with traditional transport models. This article proposes a different approach: an agent-oriented model. To reproduce realistic applications in an urban context (a metropolis), we investigate the preferences and choices of different agents based on utilities and focus on a modal choice performed through a multinomial logit model. Moreover, we propose some methodological elements to identify the individuals’ profiles using public data (census and travel surveys). We also show that this model, applied in a real case study (Lille, France), is able to reproduce travel behaviors when combining private cars and public transport. Moreover, we focus on the role played by park-and-ride facilities in this context. Thus, the simulation framework makes it possible to better understand individuals’ intermodal travel behavior and assess its development policies. Full article

Workplace location has a significant impact on daily mobility behavior, such as mode of transportation choice, as well as long-term decisions such as car ownership and residential location choice. Therefore, understanding accessibility to workplaces is crucial for promoting sustainable mobility. However, there is currently a lack of comprehensive, open-source methodologies for multimodal and intermodal accessibility modeling for workplace locations. In this study, we present a modeling concept based on open-source tools such as OpenTripPlanner, PostGIS, and R, which allows for efficient and fast accessibility analysis of workplace locations at a regional level. Using the Munich Metropolitan Region as a case study, we demonstrate the feasibility of our model in conducting large-scale, multimodal, and intermodal accessibility analysis on consumer hardware. The maps produced by our model provide both absolute and relative indicators of accessibility, such as public transportation versus car accessibility, as well as a score. The results show that Munich and other centers have high competitiveness for non-car modes and intermodal combinations, but smaller cities also have potential for workplace locations that are not reliant on car access, with a large number of potential workers able to reach these locations within 30 min without driving. Full article

Transfer terminals with a high integration level could provide favorable support to Mobility-as-a-Service, which is essential to sustainable transportation. The interconnection of multiple transfer facilities in terminals would affect travelers’ transfer choices during their trips. Existing research on intermodality lacks an efficient multi-dimension indicator system regarding transfer facilities. To date, the selection of representative indicator systems and the construction of quantitative evaluation models based on these indicators that can reflect the coupling relationship between transfer facilities effectively and comprehensively are still challenging. Aiming at this challenge, this study conducts the work in the following three ways. First, the concept of the degree of coupling coordination of multiple transfer facilities (DCC-MTF) is proposed to evaluate the interaction among multiple transfer facilities. Second, indicators of diversity, selectivity, accessibility, and continuity are designed and used to establish the model by using the entropy weight method. Third, the spatial distribution characteristics of DCC-MTF for each transfer facility are geo-visualized and clustered. Field observation is conducted at Lelylaan Station in the city of Amsterdam, and the indicator analysis derived from the collected data is discussed. Overall, the quantitative evaluation model presented in this study, which is universal and can be applied to similar scenarios, is directly valuable for planners and designers who aim to improve the integration level of transfer terminals. Full article

External transport costs are becoming an increasingly important factor in the choice of transport routes. According to sustainability principles, the first choice criterion should be the route with the least harmful impact on the environment and health. Sometimes the criteria for transportation costs are in conflict with environmental ones. There is a need to optimize them to maintain the trend of sustainable transport development. Cost and external cost behaviors of intermodal maritime–rail container transport from China over different European ports to central European destinations were examined. The aim was to determine the differences in dependency on transport route length of these two variables that are able to partly explain their different features. The complete functional dependency of external cost in maritime transport and transport cost in rail transport on route length is determined. External cost dependence on the transport route length in the railway segment was strong but incomplete. Maritime external cost share in the total external cost of combined transport was at least 83%. The weak negative dependence of maritime transport cost on route length probably reflects efforts to maintain the competitiveness of consolidated longer routes. This article contributes to the ongoing discussion of seaport competitiveness within Europe. Full article

Park and ride (P&R) facilities provide intermodal transfer between private vehicles and public transportation systems to alleviate urban congestion. This study developed a mathematical programming formulation for determining P&R facility locations. A recently developed Weibit-based model was adopted to represent the traveler choice behavior with heterogeneity. The model’s independence of irrelevant alternatives (IIA) property was explored and used to linearize its nonlinear probability. Some numerical examples are provided to demonstrate a feature of the proposed mixed integer linear programing (MILP). The results indicate a significant impact of route-specific perception variance on the optimal P&R facility locations in a real-size transportation network. Full article

It is now widely accepted that the locations of intermediate facilities, such as logistics platforms or inland ports, are key elements of multimodal freight distribution networks and heavily influence their effectiveness. This crucial role of localization decisions is even more significant if we consider their impact on the external costs of the entire logistic corridor, with reference to the cost components associated with environmental sustainability. This paper faces a facility location problem concerning a port system network serving inbound container flows arriving by sea and travelling via road and/or rail towards the hinterland. The aim is to evaluate the impact of externalities on the overall management of the distribution network, including location decisions, flow routing and transport mode choice. We present a Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP) model having the goal of minimizing both the location and shipping costs, while accounting for external cost components. In particular, as a novel environmental issue, we propose three different objective functions including congestion, air pollution, and, incidentally, noise and infrastructure deterioration. We allow the containerized flows to be split among several capacitated facilities and road and rail transport modalities. The reported computational experimentation refers to different intermodal freight logistic networks through real data derived from the logistic network departing from the maritime terminals associated with the port of the Ligurian region towards their main destinations in the north-west side of Italy. Finally, we evaluate the impact on both flows and total costs due to a closure or a capacity reduction on some links of the network. The evidence of the impact of sustainability external costs on the design and management of the multimodal logistic network under analysis is emphasized. Full article