Environmental impacts of public transport systems using real-time control method

Public Transport (PT) systems rely more and more on online information extracted from both operator’s intelligent equipment and user’s smartphone applications. This allows for a better fit between supply and demand of the multimodal PT system, especially through the use of PT real-time control actions/tactics. In doing so there is also an opportunity to consider environmental-related issues to approach energy saving and reduced pollution. This study investigates and analyses the benefits of using real-time PT operational tactics in reducing the undesirable environmental impacts. A tactic-based control (TBC) optimization model is used to minimize total passenger travel time and maximize direct transfers (without waiting). The model consists of a control policy built upon a combination of three tactics: holding, skip-stops, and boarding limit. The environmental-related measure is the global warming potential (GWP) using the life cycle assessment technique. The methodology developed is applied to a real life case study in Auckland, New Zealand. Results show that TBC could reduce the GWP by means of reduction of total passenger travel times and vehicle travel cycle time. That is, the TBC model results in a 5.6% reduction in total GWP per day compared with an existing no-tactic scenario. This study supports the use of real-time control actions to maintain a reliable PT service, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and subsequently moving towards greener PT systems.     

The desulphurisation of shipping: Past,present and the future under a global cap

As from January 2020, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) is implementing a global 0.5% limit on the sulphur content of fuel, commonly known as the global sulphur cap. This limit is the latest policy in the efforts to reduce sulphur emissions from shipping, following the designation of emission control areas (ECAs) and other regional regulations. In this paper, a literature review is conducted of academic studies that have dealt with issues relating to the reduction of maritime sulphur emissions. Various recurring research themes are identified, spanning the areas of operations research, maritime economics and transport policy. The effects and implications of available compliance options are then analyzed from the perspectives of ship operators, shippers and consumers. Using lessons learned from the enforcement of ECA regulations, this is followed by an appraisal of various potential issues related to the enforcement of these new global regulations. It is found that a homogeneous enforcement regime is required to ensure a level playing field amongst ship operators and that the global sulphur cap may lead to serious market distortion, due to the potential short term rise of fuel prices. The paper concludes with a set of recommendations for future research on sulphur emissions from shipping in the aftermath of the global cap and, looking forward, to its relationship to the IMO strategy on the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) shipping emissions.     

Solving the gate assignment problem through the Fuzzy Bee Colony Optimization

In the field of Swarm Intelligence, the Bee Colony Optimization (BCO) has proven to be capable of solving high-level combinatorial problems, like the Flight-Gate Assignment Problem (FGAP), with fast convergence performances. However, given that the FGAP can be often affected by uncertainty or approximation in data, in this paper we develop a new metaheuristic algorithm, based on the Fuzzy Bee Colony Optimization (FBCO), which integrates the concepts of BCO with a Fuzzy Inference System. The proposed method assigns, through the multicriteria analysis, airport gates to scheduled flights based on both passengers’ total walking distance and use of remote gates, to find an optimal flight-to-gate assignment for a given schedule. Comparison of the results with the schedules of real airports has allowed us to show the characteristics of the proposed concepts and, at the same time, it stressed the effectiveness of the proposed method.     

Incomplete cost – incomplete benefit analysis in transport appraisal

This paper examines the current application of transport appraisal in the UK, in particular exploring the partiality of cost–benefit analysis (CBA) within the wider multi-criteria analysis (MCA) process. It argues that applying a quantitative assessment of the varied impacts of complex transport projects can only be partial within the CBA. Analysis can overlook social, human life, environmental and built environment impacts, and projects can be inconsistent with the planning strategy for an area. The application of CBA is critically reviewed using two case studies: the proposed upgrade of the South Fylde railway line and the Heysham-M6 Link Road, both from North West England. A participatory MCA process is suggested to help improve the process of transport appraisal, as part of an improved public debate on transport investment priorities.     

The Storage Space Allocation Problem at a Container Terminal

Due to the asymmetry between the time required to retrieve a container to vessel and the time required to register a container at the gate, the storage space allocation problem solves the best allocation policy of these containers that minimizes the potential number of gantry movements during the assigning process and the future retrieval process. A decision rule-based heuristic is proposed, and three properties are discovered in this research. Comprehensive numerical experiments show that the proposed heuristic can solve the real-sized instances within a second, making it possible to account for uncertainty because the re-optimization effort is negligible. Moreover, when applying the proposed heuristic to a container yard at the Port of Kaohsiung in Taiwan and considering the extreme cases, the heuristic performs even better when the number of containers increases and still requires less than 1 s to solve these extreme cases. Finally, the proposed heuristic can be applied to different layouts of storage space and various material handling machines.     

Effects of the ‘Belt and Road’ initiative on the wine import logistics of China

China’s Belt and Road (BR) initiative is expected to facilitate international trade between the countries involved. In this study, we review the special requirements of wine logistics and the market growth potential of wine consumption in China. A model minimizing generalized logistical costs is developed and applied to wine imports in China, so that the best candidate cities in which to locate transport gateways and distribution centers can be identified. Our analysis suggests that the most preferred gateways are Shanghai, Tianjin, Guangzhou, and Hong Kong, which all have similar delivery costs. In comparison, Beijing and Chongqing have much higher delivery costs, mainly because they do not have good access to marine transport and/or efficient domestic distribution networks. For long-distance intercontinental transport of large volumes of wine, marine shipping remains the only viable delivery mode. However, wine distribution within China extensively uses air, road, and water transport. Therefore, cities with excellent multi-modal transport services are better positioned to become wine logistics gateways. Our study also highlights the importance of value-added services and good government support, which are important factors that influence distribution costs and quality.     

淤泥质海岸波致液化及航道骤淤问题初步研究

研究波浪与淤泥海床相互作用导致的海床液化、体积冲刷和高浓度近底悬沙的层移输运问题。采用de Wit提出的液化判别条件及计算方法,结合连云港近岸波浪和淤泥力学特征,计算不同来波条件下淤泥质海床的液化深度;进一步考虑浑水中含沙量对流速的折减影响,计算液化层运移速度分布。计算结果表明,大浪条件下,淤泥质海床可能有较大的液化深度,但层移厚度不大。由于层移含沙量较高,在近底水流驱动下仍能形成较大的输沙率和一定规模的大风天航道骤淤。有关研究成果为海床稳定性分析和输沙计算提供了新的思路和方法。     

上海松江区现代有轨电车规划研究

现代有轨电车因其环保、舒适、高效、低造价、高品质等特点,在国际上得到广泛应用,我国多个城市也在规划和建设之中。但是,由于其在国内尚为一种全新的交通方式,没有标准或规范予以指导,规划及设计体系不完善,有些已建项目已呈现问题。文章结合上海松江区规划背景及交通特征,阐述有轨电车示范线T1、T2线的布局规划、建设的必要性及适应性,为即将开展有轨电车规划及建设的城市提供借鉴与参考。     

客车捎带模式下高铁快捷货物输送方案研究

以提高高铁快运当日达产品的时效性、收益率为核心,对既有载客动车组捎带模式下的快捷货物输送方案进行优化。借助时空网络以列车运行成本与时间惩罚费用之和最小为目标,同时满足货主时限、列车容量以及列车停站方案等约束,建立输送方案优化模型,通过匈牙利算法,并借助Matlab的Yalmip工具箱求解模型。以兰州西站至天水南站、宝鸡南站及西安北站部分时间段的快捷货物运输需求为背景进行算例分析,验证模型的有效性。结果表明合理估算列车装载容量及货物的延迟时限对输送方案的选择起重要作用。     

基于大数据的大学校园停车系统规划 ——以大连理工大学凌水主校区为例

为解决大学校园停车系统混乱以及用于相关规划的基础数据样本量小、精度不高、时效性 差等问题，应用大学校园停车调查数据、各出入口车辆记录数据以及各院系教职工信息数据进行多源大数据分析，提出了一种基于大数据的大学校园停车系统规划方法。以大连理工大学凌水主 校区收集到的数据为例，首先从静态角度利用各出入口车辆记录数据和校园停车调查数据获取校园整体停车需求，进而利用各院系教职工信息数据分析各部门的停车需求。然后，从动态角度考虑停车位的周转问题，利用各出入口车辆记录数据分析校园出入车辆停车时段分布状况。最后，根据多源大数据分析所得校园停车系统现状，得出相应的校园停车系统规划结果。研究结果表 明：基于大数据的大学校园停车系统规划方法可有效解决传统方法中基础数据样本量小、精度不高、时效性差等问题，提高了规划结果的实用性和科学性。