Urban intermodal terminals: The entropy maximising facility location problem

Collins Teye, Michael G H Bell and Michiel Bliemer

Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, 2017, vol. 100, issue C, 64-81

Abstract: 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.

Keywords: City logistics; Intermodal terminals; Entropy; Facility location; Lagrangian relaxation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (13)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0191261516304957
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:transb:v:100:y:2017:i:c:p:64-81

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/supportfaq.cws_home/regional
https://shop.elsevie ... _01_ooc_1&version=01

DOI: 10.1016/j.trb.2017.01.014

Access Statistics for this article

Transportation Research Part B: Methodological is currently edited by Fred Mannering

More articles in Transportation Research Part B: Methodological from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().