Analysis of intermodal freight from China to Indian Ocean: A goal programming approach

• Main Authors: YANG, Xuejing, LOW, Joyce M. W., TANG, Loon Ching
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2011
• Subjects: Intermodal transportation; Goal programming; Routing between China and Indian Ocean; Route competitions and developments; Asian Studies; Operations and Supply Chain Management; Transportation
• Online Access: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/lkcsb_research/3236; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2010.05.007
• Institution: Singapore Management University

This paper presents an intermodal network optimization model to examine the competitiveness of 36 alternative routings for freight moving from China to and beyond Indian Ocean. The proposed model, which is built upon the principles of goal programming, is able to handle multiple and conflicting objective functions such as minimizing transportation cost, transit time and transit time variability while ensuring flow continuity and transit nodes compatibility among the rail, road, ocean vessel, airplane and inland waterway transports. Transportation time and cost obtained from comprehensive industry sources are then fed into the intermodal transport network connecting two important Chinese origins and four Indian destinations, from which the most attractive routes are identified. In addition, the paper investigates several non-dominated transportation cases through sensitivity analysis tests, and analyzes the potential competitiveness and possible influences of future route developments to current transportation patterns in Asia.