IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/soceps/v98y2025ics003801212400346x.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

A hybrid optimization approach for designing sustainable intermodal freight transport under mixed uncertainty

Author

Listed:
  • Rahiminia, Shahab
  • Mehrabi, Amir
  • Jabbarzadeh, Armin
  • Aghaee, Mohsen Pourseyed

Abstract

Intermodal freight transport stands out as an innovative logistics solution for combating climate change. However, the intricacies of planning resilient and sustainable intermodal freight transport systems necessitate further investigation. Addressing this critical research gap, this paper introduces a pioneering hybrid optimization framework tailored for designing a robust rail-road intermodal network that prioritizes sustainability while navigating disruptions and operational uncertainties. This framework adopts a multi-period approach to model intricate intermodal operations, including mode-switching activities. It strategically determines optimal locations for intermodal terminals and makes tactical decisions regarding inventory management and transport planning. The goal is to enhance the sustainability performance of intermodal terminals while simultaneously minimizing the overall total cost and carbon emissions of the network. The sustainability assessment of intermodal terminals employs a variant of network data envelopment analysis, considering a range of conflicting measures. Furthermore, the proposed optimization approach integrates P-robust and possibilistic chance-constraint programming to effectively mitigate disruption risks and operational uncertainties inherent in intermodal networks. To validate the efficacy of the proposed approach, two datasets are utilized, including a real-world case study of rail-road intermodal freight transport. The numerical findings showcase the significant benefits of this approach, demonstrating a remarkable 24 % reduction in maximum regret with a negligible 1.4 % increase in expected cost, highlighting its potential for sustainable and resilient intermodal freight transport systems. This research provides valuable insights for freight transport companies to enhance resilience against disruptions and manage operational uncertainties, while also contributing to societal goals of sustainable development through reduced environmental impacts.

Suggested Citation

  • Rahiminia, Shahab & Mehrabi, Amir & Jabbarzadeh, Armin & Aghaee, Mohsen Pourseyed, 2025. "A hybrid optimization approach for designing sustainable intermodal freight transport under mixed uncertainty," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 98(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:soceps:v:98:y:2025:i:c:s003801212400346x
    DOI: 10.1016/j.seps.2024.102146
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S003801212400346X
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.seps.2024.102146?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:soceps:v:98:y:2025:i:c:s003801212400346x. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/seps .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.