The emergence of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) for freight transport in recent times has created interest among practitioners and researchers to extend freight ITS to support broader logistics processes, including dynamic tour scheduling, loading and unloading, warehousing, and even production. However, connecting transport data, ITS and logistics information systems require collaboration between different organizations and new business models to create business value for logistics actors. It is critical for these stakeholders to consider how their business models connect to create meaningful new data-to-information value chains. This study develops a conceptual framework to identify opportunities for logistics value creation with freight transport data. Building on the literature we construct a framework that reconciles multi-firm and firm-level business modelling. The main component is a generalized framework for Data-to-Value (DtV) chains for applications in information and communications technology. In order to support its business validity, we extend this framework with Business Model Canvases (BMCs) of the actors in the value chain. Three real-life use cases from a freight ITS community in the Netherlands are used to evaluate and illustrate the framework.

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Due to the uncertain and dynamic environment around scheduling systems, timely revisions or reschedules of the master plans are essential for achieving optimal utilization. With the recent development of Industry 4.0 technologies, many researchers perceive the creation of cyber-physical systems as a solution for managing systems under uncertainty. This article focuses on a loading facility under uncertain truck arrivals due to road congestion and proposes utilizing real-time truck location information to improve performance. We do this by developing an integrated system consisting of a predictive model using machine learning (MC) classifiers and a mathematical model for real-time slot rescheduling. The ML classifier is used to predict the presence probabilities of all the incoming trucks at a particular slot based on the historical traffic data and the real-time truck location. Subsequently, a Mixed-Integer Quadratic Programming (MIQP) model is developed to solve a Probabilistic Slot Rescheduling Problem (P-SRP), which uses the estimated truck presence probabilities and minimizes the total expected cost of rescheduling. We implemented this by first testing multiple ML classifiers and selected the ANN classifier for prediction as it outperformed others. Our limited experiments showed that the proposed method reduced the total rescheduling cost by 42%. Furthermore, our sensitivity analysis with different congestion levels, complexity, and rescheduling strategy also showed the practicality of the proposed approach.@en

Traffic congestion is uncertain and undesirable in logistics and leads to arrival uncertainty at downstream locations engendering disruptions. This paper considers a loading facility that uses Truck Appointment System (TAS) for slot management and faces incoming truck arrival uncertainty due to traffic congestion. Due to the recent advancements in cyber-physical systems, we propose an adaptive system that uses the real-time truck Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA) data to make informed decisions. We develop an integer mathematical model to represent the adaptive behavior that determines the optimal reschedules by minimizing the average truck waiting time. We developed a simulation model of the adaptive system and reported the estimated benefits from our initial experiments. @en

In this paper, we evaluate the cost of the electrification of an existing bus network. We propose a family of bi-objective mathematical models to demonstrate the trade-off between strategic (i.e., battery sizing and the locations of charging stations) and operational decisions (i.e., battery degradation). The proposed mathematical models investigate different charging policies and measure their impacts on overall cost. Battery degradation is estimated by a tailored and linearized semi-empirical approach and is explicitly incorporated in the proposed mixed-integer linear models. The impact of different charging policies on reducing the overall costs is evaluated for a bus network in Rotterdam. The results show that allowing for flexibility in the loss of energy levels at each bus cycle results in savings up to 17% in battery aging.

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Urban mobility services face the challenge of planning their operations efficiently while complying with user preferences. In this paper, we introduce a new mathematical model called a choice-driven dial-a-ride problem (CD-DARP) which is a generalization of the dynamic DARP where passenger behavior is integrated in the operational planning using choice models and assortment optimization. We look at two types of mobility services, private and shared. Our problem extends the dynamic DARP by (i) changing its objective function to profit maximization, where both cost and revenue are variables, and (ii) incorporating assortment optimization with routing decisions in a dynamic setting. We propose a pricing scheme based on a choice model designed to offer service alternatives at the time a customer makes a request. We introduce a tailored algorithm to efficiently solve the dynamic CD-DARP. Computational results indicate that our proposed approach outperforms dynamic DARP in terms of reducing routing costs and improving the number of customers served.

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Interconnected logistics system can play an important role towards having a more sustainable green freight transport. Recently, after introducing the concept of Physical Internet (PI), researchers have started to explore the opportunities and challenges that a collaborative and interconnected network could create in different aspects of the supply chain. In this research, we study the last mile delivery as well as vehicle dispatching problems under the assumptions of collaborative supply chain networks while assuming that modularized boxes are applied inside the network from the provider to the final customer. Our research aims at proposing a more efficient resource planning with the minimal number of empty vehicle movements running on roads that ultimately leads to decrease carbon dioxide emission. The assumptions have been tested and verified using real data coming from a major retail company in Europe.@en

Unexpected disruptions commonly occur in the railway network, causing delays, and extra cost for operators and inconvenience for passengers by missing their connection and facing overcrowded trains. This paper presents a passenger-centric approach for timetable rescheduling in case of disruption. We study a railway system in which passengers are free to choose their itinerary and compete over limited train capacity. We explicitly model the passengers’ decisions using a choice model. We propose a multi-objective algorithmic approach to solve the problem. Service punctuality, operating cost, and passengers’ inconvenience are selected as objectives. Computational experiments are performed on the Swiss and Dutch railway networks. The results demonstrate the performance of the algorithm in finding high-quality solutions in a computationally efficient manner.

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In this paper, we address a multi-objective residential waste collection problem with an integrated territory planning and vehicle routing approach. Dividing the problem into territories enables drivers to carry out the same route every week so they get familiar with it and residents put out their bins at the appropriate time. Another benefit is to reduce the computation time for large problems, since the complex characteristics of the involved vehicle routing problem make it otherwise difficult to solve. There are three characteristics that are important for good territory planning: minimum overlap, minimum travel time, and balanced workload. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence these three objectives have on each other, since they might be contradictory. Moreover, an Adaptive Large Neighborhood Search (ALNS) algorithm is developed for this specific problem which uses a K-means algorithm to generate the initial solution for territories. The results with the three objectives are shown to be useful for planners seeking to make informed decisions through the trade-off across different solutions with the Pareto frontiers provided. Moreover, the ALNS algorithm is shown to find good quality solutions in a reasonable computational time.@en

We solve a rich routing problem inspired from practice, in which a heterogeneous fixed fleet is used for collecting recyclable waste from large containers over a finite planning horizon. Each container is equipped with a sensor that communicates its level at the start of the day. Given a history of observations, a forecasting model is used to estimate the expected demands and a forecasting error representing the level of uncertainty. The problem falls under the framework of the stochastic inventory routing problem and our main contribution is the modeling of the dynamic probability-based cost of container overflows and route failures over the planning horizon. We cast the problem as a mixed integer non-linear program and, to solve it, we develop an adaptive large neighborhood search algorithm that integrates a purpose-designed forecasting model, tested and validated on real data. We demonstrate the strength of our modeling approach on a set of rich inventory routing instances derived from real data coming from the canton of Geneva, Switzerland. Our approach significantly outperforms alternative deterministic policies in its ability to limit the occurrence of container overflows for the same routing cost. Finally, we show the benefit of a rolling horizon solution and derive lower and upper bounds on its cost.

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In the context of on-demand logistics systems, the facility location is becoming even more critical as demand characteristics and customer preferences are changing with respect to the location, time, customer segments etc. Classic facility location models do not take into account customer preferences when the set of facility locations are optimized and therefore the expected profit of the classic facility location models is not an accurate representation of reality. This paper develops a preference-based facility location model which incorporates customer preferences while maximizing the system-wide expected profit in the context of an on-demand logistics provider. The customers are first segmented based on historical data and segment specific preferences are estimated by logit mixture where we take into account heterogeneity within the segment. The performance of the preference-based facility location model is measured by total expected profit and consumer surplus. It is found that, the preference-based facility location model is not only a more accurate representation of reality but also has the potential to increase the expected profit compared to typical facility location models.@en

This paper presents a route optimization algorithm for light aircraft operating under visual flight rules. The problem aims at finding a minimum-duration, collision-free route in three spatial dimensions with possible aircraft maneuvers. The optimal route takes into account the aircraft kinodynamic characteristics and its interaction with external wind. A data processing approach is presented to recast the flying environment as a series of polyhedrons based on which a mixed-integer linear model is formulated. A two-stage route optimization model is then introduced to solve real-life instances. Computational experiments depict the efficiency of this approach.@en

Hinterland freight transportation is managed according to a pre-designed schedule. In daily operations, unexpected uncertainties cause deviation from the original plan. Thus replanning is needed to deal with the perturbations and complete the transportation tasks. This paper proposes a mixed-integer programming model to re-plan hinterland freight transportation, based on the framework of synchromodality. It is a holistic resolution of shipment flow rerouting, consequence transshipment organization in the intermediate terminals, and corresponding service rescheduling. The replanning benefits from a high operational flexibility and coordination via a split of shipment and aligning the departure time of service flows with the shipment flows.

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We introduce a unified framework for rich vehicle and inventory routing problems with complex physical and temporal constraints. Demands are stochastic, can be non-stationary, and are forecast using any model that provides the expected demands and their error term distribution, which can be any theoretical or empirical distribution. We offer a detailed discussion on the modeling of demand stochasticity, focusing on the probabilities and cost effects of undesirable events, such as stock-outs, breakdowns and route failures, and their associated recourse actions. Tractability is achieved through the ability to pre-compute or at least partially pre-process the stochastic information, which is possible under mild assumptions for a general inventory policy. We integrate the stochastic aspect into a mixed integer non-linear program, illustrate applications to various problem classes, and show how to model specific problems through the lens of inventory routing. The case study is based on two sets of realistic instances, representing a waste collection inventory routing problem and a facility maintenance problem, respectively. We analyze the effects of our assumptions on modeling realism and tractability, and demonstrate that our framework significantly outperforms deterministic policies in its ability to limit the number of undesirable events for the same routing cost.

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Automated Vehicles (AVs) offer their users a possibility to perform new non-driving activities while being on the way. The effects of this opportunity on travel choices and travel demand have mostly been conceptualised and modelled via a reduced penalty associated with (in-vehicle) travel time. This approach invariably leads to a prediction of more car-travel. However, we argue that reductions in the size of the travel time penalty are only a crude proxy for the variety of changes in time-use and travel patterns that are likely to occur at the advent of AVs. For example, performing activities in an AV can save time and in this way enable the execution of other activities within a day. Activities in an AV may also eliminate or generate a need for some other activities and travel. This may lead to an increase, or decrease in travel time, depending on the traveller’s preferences, schedule, and local accessibility. Neglecting these dynamics is likely to bias forecasts of travel demand and travel behaviour in the AV-era. In this paper, we present an optimisation model which rigorously captures the time-use effects of travellers’ ability to perform on-board activities. Using a series of worked out examples, we test the face validity of the model and demonstrate how it can be used to predict travel choices in the AV-era. @en

In this paper, we aim at investigating the impact of demand modelling on revenue performance for a shared mobility system. We consider the case where the information associated to the systematic part of the utility function is not available. We use dynamic assortment optimization to estimate utilities. We compare this assumption with the case where the choice probabilities are assumed to be static and homogenously estimated. The results indicate that this additional information helps to improve the service level as well as the revenue performance.@en

A passenger centric timetable is such a timetable that the satisfaction of the passengers is maximized. However, these timetables only maximize the probability of a passenger to take the train, but provide no insight on the actual choices of the passengers. Therefore, in this manuscript we replace the deterministic passenger satisfaction function with a probabilistic demand forecasting model inside of the passenger centric train timetable design. The actual forecasts lead to a realistic train occupation. Knowing the train occupation, we can estimate the revenue and to use pricing as a mobility management to further improve the level-of-service. We use a logit model that we calibrate to reflect the known demand elasticities. We further include a competing operator as an opt-out option for the passengers. Subsequently, we integrate the passenger centric train timetabling problem with a ticket pricing problem. We solve the elastic passenger centric train timetabling problem for various types of timetables using a simulated annealing heuristic on a case study of Israeli Railways. The results of our case study show that the generated revenues can be increased by up to 15% when taking into account the passengers’ behavior along with a specific pricing scheme. This study further confirms the advantages of hybrid cyclicity.

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Unexpected disruptions occur for many reasons in railway networks and cause delays, cancelations, and, eventually, passenger inconvenience. This research focuses on the railway timetable rescheduling problem from a macroscopic point of view in case of large disruptions. The originality of our approach is to integrate three objectives to generate a disposition timetable: the passenger satisfaction, the operational costs and the deviation from the undisrupted timetable. We formulate the problem as an Integer Linear Program that optimizes the first objective and includes ε-constraints for the two other ones. By solving the problem for different values of ε, the three-dimensional Pareto frontier can be explored to understand the trade-offs among the three objectives. The model includes measures such as canceling, delaying or rerouting the trains of the undisrupted timetable, as well as scheduling emergency trains. Furthermore, passenger flows are adapted dynamically to the new timetable. Computational experiments are performed on a realistic case study based on a heavily used part of the Dutch railway network. The model is able to find optimal solutions in reasonable computational times. The results provide evidence that adopting a demand-oriented approach for the management of disruptions not only is possible, but may lead to significant improvement in passenger satisfaction, associated with a low operational cost of the disposition timetable.

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This paper introduces an exact method to schedule the internal transshipment process at cross-docks in less-than-truckload industries. An integer programming formulation is presented to minimize the cost of double handling by synchronizing two types of decisions: (1) products’ internal transferring route, and (2) the order of processing trucks at the terminal doors. Several valid inequalities are introduced to strengthen the formulation and to increase the efficiency of the proposed algorithm. A tailored branch and bound algorithm is developed. Several structural properties and a heuristic method are implemented to enhance the algorithm. Computational experiments of up to 40 trucks demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed approach.@en

We propose a new type of timetable that would combine both the regularity of the cyclic timetables and the flexibility of the non-cyclic ones. In order to do so, several combinations of the two timetables are considered. The regularity is incorporated in their design and the flexibility is evaluated using the passenger satisfaction (in monetary units). Each of the tested timetables is constructed using the Passenger Centric Train Timetabling Problem (PCTTP), that is solved using a simulated annealing heuristic. Note that the PCTTP, unlike the traditional Train Timetabling Problem (TTP), does not take into account the conflicts among trains. The aim of the PCTTP is to design such timetables that the passengers’ satisfaction is maximized and it remains the aim of the TTP to remove any potential conflicts. The performance of each of the considered timetables is assessed on the real network of Israeli Railways. The results of the case study show that our proposed hybrid cyclic timetable can provide the benefits of the cyclic and the non-cyclic timetable simultaneously. This timetable consists of 75% of cyclic trains (securing the regularity of the service) and of 25% of non-cyclic trains (deployed as supplementary trains during the peak hours and capturing the demand fluctuation). The level of the passenger satisfaction of the hybrid cyclic timetable is similar to the level of the non-cyclic one, which has about 18.5% of improvement as compared to the purely cyclic one.

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