Optimization of Express Train Service Network: Under the Competition of Highway Transportation

TL;DR

This paper develops a multi-objective optimization model for railway express train networks to enhance competitiveness against highway transport, focusing on cost reduction and revenue maximization, considering different freight assignment methods.

Contribution

It introduces a novel multi-objective programming model incorporating both road and railway modes, and compares flow assignment patterns for high-value freight transfer.

Findings

The model effectively balances operation costs and revenue.

Flow assignment methods impact freight distribution and network efficiency.

The approach supports environmentally friendly freight transfer strategies.

Abstract

In order to reduce the carbon emission, the related government departments encourage road freights to be transferred more by railway transportation. In China freight transport system, the road transportation is usually responsible for the freights that are in a short distance or the ones with high value-added. To transfer more high value-added freights from highway to railway, except the transportation expenses of railway have an advantage over the road, the transportation time is of certain competitive force as well. Therefore, it is very essential for railway to provide freight train products that are of competitive power. Under such circumstance, a multi-objective programming model of optimizing the rail express train network is devised in this work on the basis of taking both road and railway transportation modes into account. The aims of optimization are to minimize the operation costs of rail trains, and to maximize the railway transport revenue. In a network with a given set of express train services, either the all-or-nothing (AON) method or the logit model can be employed when assigning high value-added freights. These two flow assignment patterns are investigated in this work.