Logistics Hub Location for High-Speed Rail Freight Transport—Case Ottawa–Quebec City Corridor

Yong Lin Ren and Anjali Awasthi ()
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Yong Lin Ren: Concordia Institute for Information Systems Engineering, Concordia University, Montreal, QC H3G 1M8, Canada
Anjali Awasthi: Concordia Institute for Information Systems Engineering, Concordia University, Montreal, QC H3G 1M8, Canada

Logistics, 2025, vol. 9, issue 4, 1-31

Abstract: Background : This paper develops a novel, interdisciplinary framework for optimizing high-speed rail (HSR) freight logistics hubs in the Ottawa–Quebec City corridor, addressing critical gaps in geospatial mismatches, static optimization limitations, and narrow sustainability scopes found in the existing literature. Methods: The research methodology integrates a hybrid graph neural network-reinforcement learning (GNN-RL) architecture that encodes 412 nodes into a dynamic graph with adaptive edge weights, fractal accessibility (α = 1.78) derived from fractional calculus (α = 0.75) to model non-linear urban growth patterns, and a multi-criteria sustainability evaluation framework embedding shadow pricing for externalities. Methodologically, the framework is validated through global sensitivity analysis and comparative testing against classical optimization models using real-world geospatial, operational, and economic datasets from the corridor. Results : Key findings demonstrate the framework’s superiority. Empirical results show an obvious reduction in emissions and lower logistics costs compared to classical models, with Pareto-optimal hubs identified. These hubs achieve the most GDP coverage of the corridor, reconciling economic efficiency with environmental resilience and social equity. Conclusions : This research establishes a replicable methodology for mid-latitude freight corridors, advancing low-carbon logistics through the integration of GNN-RL optimization, fractal spatial analysis, and sustainability assessment—bridging economic viability, environmental decarbonization, and social equity in HSR freight network design.

Keywords: HSR; location; sustainability; fractal accessibility; GNN-RL (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: L8 L80 L81 L86 L87 L9 L90 L91 L92 L93 L98 L99 M1 M10 M11 M16 M19 R4 R40 R41 R49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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