A Simulation Model for Intermodal Freight Transportation in Louisiana
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2015-01-01
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Abstract:With increased emphasis on intermodal transportation development, the issue of how to evaluate an intermodal freight transportation system and provide intermodal solutions has been receiving intensive attention. In order to improve freight flow efficiency and therefore support economic development in the State, it is necessary to have a systematic tool to study the freight flow over all three major surface modes and their connections and, in turn, to help DOTD identify the best way to increase freight transportation capacity and improve flow efficiency. Because of the high complexity and high variability involved in transportation flows, it is technically difficult to use analytical models to evaluate and study freight networks. Therefore, simulation has been widely used to address transportation issues, especially for single modes and at the micro-level. However, there are very few simulation models that focus on the connections on multiple transportation modes and emphasize on the system-wide performance evaluation. One aggregate model for the network in the State of Mississippi was developed in 2004 without considering the dynamics at any nodes and the model has a very low resolution. A system-level intermodal simulation model should include highways, railways, and waterways because all three modes, working together, play significant roles in Louisiana freight flows. The simulation model will not only include the links and nodes of all three modes but also incorporate the connections between different modes. In all existing traffic simulation models, the capacity and volume/speed relationships are only well defined for some infrastructure in a single mode, such as highway links, dams and ports, or rail links. There are no simulation models that incorporate the capacity at intermodal connections and the dwelling time vs. volume relationships at connections though most freight flow time is spent at the connection nodes between modes or within modes (e.g., classification yards or ports). The intermodal connection points are often bottlenecks for the capacity of the overall freight network. The freight transportation network is an integrated system with various impacts on the society. In addition to mobility, the intermodal simulation model should also incorporate other transportation performance measures such as reliability, safety and security, environmental impact, economic development, etc. The research team finished a project of āDevelopment of Performance Measurement for Freight Transportationā to identify the performance metrics for intermodal freight transportation network. Those metrics will be included in the proposed simulation model to evaluate any intermodal network or assess the benefits of a network improvement initiative in a comprehensive way. For some metrics, such as reliability, simulation may be the only effective way to do evaluation because of the difficulty of data collection and direct calculation.
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