Optimization of multi- period empty container repositioning and renting in CHINA RAILWAY Express based on container sharing strategy

European Transport Research Review

Si Chen¹  Xinglong Zhu¹  Yinying Tang¹  Yuan Feng¹ 

[1] School of Transportation and Logistics, Southwest Jiaotong University, No. 111, North Section 1, Second Ring Road, 610031, Chengdu, China;National Engineering Laboratory of Integrated Transportation Big Data Application Technology, 610031, Chengdu, China;National united Engineering Laboratory of Integrated and Intelligent Transportation, 610031, Chengdu, China;

关键词: CHINA RAILWAY Express;    Container sharing;    Dynamic optimization;    Empty container transportation;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12544-021-00498-y

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundWith the steady growth of trade between China and Europe, the number of trains in CHINA RAILWAY Express has steadily increased under the Belt and Road Initiative. By the end of 2019, more than 21,000 trains have been operated. However, in the development of CHINA RAILWAY Express, the cost of empty container transportation and leasing remains high. So, it is necessary to put forward the strategy of container sharing.AimThrough the optimization of empty container transfer and rent under container sharing, this study aim to reduce the operation cost and put forward the strategy of container sharing.MethodConsidering the dynamic characteristics of empty container transportation in reality, this paper constructs a multi-period empty container transportation optimization model with the lowest total cost and the stability of the network, combining with the container sharing strategy. Lyapunov optimization method is used to transform the complex problem into a single period optimization problem, and then genetic algorithm is used to solve the model.ResultBased on the analysis of 13 existing regular train companies, the results show that the model can effectively improve the utilization rate of containers and reduce the cost in the decision-making period. Based on the results and parameters analysis, some suggestions are put forward to optimize the empty container sharing and effectively realize of container sharing.

【 授权许可】

CC BY