Optimal Design of Intermodal Transportation Facilities: Simulation as a Tool to Model Intermodal Container Movements
Stephen S. Roop and Paul Koster, Texas A&M University, August 1998, 52 pp. (472840-00009-1)
The “container revolution” of the last forty years has altered the manner in which transportation modes interact. Containerized freight continues to increase with ever larger ships, double stack train service, and trucking companies dedicated to intermodal container movements. The goal of “seamless” interaction between modes is based on a desire to reduce container dwell times at facilities and thus improve productivity and profitability. Consequently, the design of intermodal container terminals, the selection of appropriate lift equipment, and manpower allocation is of paramount importance to facility productivity. Tools for facility design undergo continual improvement. Simulation is one such tool that has become more flexible and more powerful over that last several years. The current research is dedicated to developing a general simulation model of ship-to-rail intermodal container movements with the goal of providing analytical support to operations and facility design personnel.
Keywords: Simulation, Intermodal Container Movements, Intermodal Facility Design
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