Multicriteria Intermodal Freight Network Optimal Problem with Heterogeneous Preferences under Belt and Road Initiative

Zhuo Zhang, Dezhi Zhang, Lóránt A. Tavasszy and Qinglin Li
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Zhuo Zhang: School of Traffic & Transportation Engineering, Central South University, Changsha 410075, China
Dezhi Zhang: School of Traffic & Transportation Engineering, Central South University, Changsha 410075, China
Lóránt A. Tavasszy: Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geoscience and Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management, Delft University of Technology, Jaffalaan 5, 2628 BX Delft, The Netherlands
Qinglin Li: School of Transportation and Logistics, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 611756, China

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 24, 1-24

Abstract: In this study, we demonstrate the importance of incorporating shippers’ preference heterogeneity into the optimization of the China Railway express network. In particular, a bilevel programming model is established to minimize the total construction cost for the government in the upper level and maximize the shippers’ satisfaction in the lower level. The proposed model considers price, time, reliability, frequency, safety, flexibility, traceability, and emission. Two designs are obtained by applying the model to two scenarios, in which one is of the aggregate shipper group and the other is of the three distinct clusters. Results show that explicitly including heterogeneity in network optimization pays off in terms of the dramatic increase in shippers’ satisfaction and the share of the sustainable railway without generating extra cost for the system. The results of this study could lead to insightful implication for proper network planning for the China Railway express and some useful suggestions on the subsidies of the government.

Keywords: sustainable freight network design; heterogeneous preferences; multicriteria decision-making (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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