Optimizing the Service Network Design Problem for Railroad Intermodal Transportation of Hazardous Materials

The service network design problem is one of the key problems in the field of railroad intermodal transportation of hazardous materials (hazmat). It lies in determining the frequency of the trains and the allocation of both hazardous and ordinary shipments to these trains, as well as the railroad co...

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Main Authors: Lixia Huang, Jun Zhao
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2022-01-01
Series:Journal of Advanced Transportation
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2022/5191104
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author Lixia Huang
Jun Zhao
author_facet Lixia Huang
Jun Zhao
author_sort Lixia Huang
collection DOAJ
description The service network design problem is one of the key problems in the field of railroad intermodal transportation of hazardous materials (hazmat). It lies in determining the frequency of the trains and the allocation of both hazardous and ordinary shipments to these trains, as well as the railroad connecting plan of all shipments based on the established train formation plan. Based on a unified method, we build a multiobjective mixed-integer linear-programming model that comprehensively considers both hazardous and ordinary materials, the compatibility of goods and services, the capacity of the transfer station, and the delivery time limit of each shipment. An augmented ε-constraint algorithm is customized to solve the model. Computational results of a practical example in China show that an increase of 8.4 million yuan in the total cost could reduce nearly 24541 the total risk. Moreover, the algorithms comparison and sensitivity analysis indicate that the augmented ε-constraint algorithm is a more suitable approach to handle the model because of its advantage in the uniqueness of distinct nondominated solutions. Finally, the sensitivity analysis shows that the total cost and risk could simultaneously be reduced if the delivery time limit is relaxed or if the transfer time is shortened.
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spelling doaj-art-4e8930d680664f039f07d4d0bd77e2552025-02-03T01:32:29ZengWileyJournal of Advanced Transportation2042-31952022-01-01202210.1155/2022/5191104Optimizing the Service Network Design Problem for Railroad Intermodal Transportation of Hazardous MaterialsLixia Huang0Jun Zhao1School of Economics and ManagementSchool of Transportation and LogisticsThe service network design problem is one of the key problems in the field of railroad intermodal transportation of hazardous materials (hazmat). It lies in determining the frequency of the trains and the allocation of both hazardous and ordinary shipments to these trains, as well as the railroad connecting plan of all shipments based on the established train formation plan. Based on a unified method, we build a multiobjective mixed-integer linear-programming model that comprehensively considers both hazardous and ordinary materials, the compatibility of goods and services, the capacity of the transfer station, and the delivery time limit of each shipment. An augmented ε-constraint algorithm is customized to solve the model. Computational results of a practical example in China show that an increase of 8.4 million yuan in the total cost could reduce nearly 24541 the total risk. Moreover, the algorithms comparison and sensitivity analysis indicate that the augmented ε-constraint algorithm is a more suitable approach to handle the model because of its advantage in the uniqueness of distinct nondominated solutions. Finally, the sensitivity analysis shows that the total cost and risk could simultaneously be reduced if the delivery time limit is relaxed or if the transfer time is shortened.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2022/5191104
spellingShingle Lixia Huang
Jun Zhao
Optimizing the Service Network Design Problem for Railroad Intermodal Transportation of Hazardous Materials
Journal of Advanced Transportation
title Optimizing the Service Network Design Problem for Railroad Intermodal Transportation of Hazardous Materials
title_full Optimizing the Service Network Design Problem for Railroad Intermodal Transportation of Hazardous Materials
title_fullStr Optimizing the Service Network Design Problem for Railroad Intermodal Transportation of Hazardous Materials
title_full_unstemmed Optimizing the Service Network Design Problem for Railroad Intermodal Transportation of Hazardous Materials
title_short Optimizing the Service Network Design Problem for Railroad Intermodal Transportation of Hazardous Materials
title_sort optimizing the service network design problem for railroad intermodal transportation of hazardous materials
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2022/5191104
work_keys_str_mv AT lixiahuang optimizingtheservicenetworkdesignproblemforrailroadintermodaltransportationofhazardousmaterials
AT junzhao optimizingtheservicenetworkdesignproblemforrailroadintermodaltransportationofhazardousmaterials