Modeling and optimization of the intermodal terminal Mega Hub

The convergence of European states can be expected to lead to an increase in the trading of goods within the next few years and thus to a growing demand for transport. Overland intermodal transport is an important development, because it combines the advantages of rail for long distance transportation with the effective area cover offered by road. Different terminal concepts and production forms have been developed to increase the flexibility of intermodal transport and to make it more attractive for the customer. The intermodal terminal concept investigated in this paper is called Mega Hub. The configuration and the control of the terminal is a complex and challenging task. Here, the terminal is modeled as a multi-stage transshipment problem. In this approach, sequence-dependent duration of empty moves, alternative assignments (of containers to cranes) and a sequence-dependent number of operations have to be handled. An optimization model based on Constraint Satisfaction is formulated and heuristics for the search procedure, especially value and variable ordering are developed. Received: May 2, 2000 / Accepted: July 4, 2001