A sequential linear programming approach for flow assignment in intermodal freight transport

Intermodal freight transport has been proposed as a potential solution for achieving efficient and sustainable transport systems in the hinterland of the Port of Rotterdam. The routing problem arising in container distribution and collection processes is an important issue and similarly the flow assignment problem arises at a more aggregate level. In this paper, we first briefly review the existing literature on routing for intermodal freight transport. Next, an extended intermodal transport network model is formulated for the time-varying and load-dependent travel time on roads. The optimal intermodal freight flow assignment problem becomes a nonlinear and non-convex optimization problem. A sequential linear programming (SLP) approach is proposed for determining the freight flow assignment. Simulation results show the effectiveness of the proposed SLP approach.