Sustainable model of port-hinterland freight distribution network considering uncertainty: A case study of Iran

According to the significant role of ports, port-hinterland distribution network considering various parameters, has come under the spot of attention in the recent years. This paper, considering intermodal transport, along with the possibility of constructing new inland terminals where transportation mode changes, aims to investigate the subject of port-hinterland freight distribution network. To this aim, considering the volume of exported freight being delivered as well as imported freight received, a multi-objective intermodal model has been developed for Iran’s case study. In this model, it has been assumed that in addition to the existing railway and road routes in the country, new railway and road routes could be constructed as well. The first objective function involves minimizing the cost of transportation along with the cost of constructing an inland terminal. The second objective function involves minimizing CO_2 released during freight transport. The certain model of the problem has been described, first and uncertainty conditions in amounts of import demand and export supply has been taken into account. A robust modeling approach has been used. Therefore, data of goods imported or exported to/from Iran were collected and solved using robust model in GAMS software; then the results were analyzed and investigated.