This study analyses the impact of using foldable containers in terms of cost savings of truck drayage operations, of both loaded and empty containers, in the hinterland of a seaport. We model a vehicle routing problem to optimise empty container relocation. A simulated annealing algorithm is developed to solve the problem. Numerical experiments are carried out in realistic empty container relocation scenarios. We find that, under certain conditions, foldable containers can offer higher truck productivity compared with standard containers, hence resulting in substantial cost savings. This paper provides managerial insights into how foldable containers can help reduce the costs of hinterland transport.

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Combinable containers can either be used as a standard 20 ft or in combined state as a 40 ft container by altering the dimensional to match the cargo size. This paper examines the viability of combinable containers for saving the container related costs. We present a model of a minimum cost multi-commodity network flow problem that can be used to simultaneously determine the fleet sizes of standard and combinable containers and their empty container allocation/repositioning. Based on numerical experiments, we discovered that mixed use of both types of containers can save a significant portion of container related cost.

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Introduction: Hyperloop (HL) is presented as an efficient alternative of HSR (High Speed Rail) and APT (Air Passenger Transport) systems for long-distance passenger transport. This paper explores the performances of HL and compares these performances to HSR and APT. Methods: The following performances of the HL system are analytically modeled and compared to HSR and APT: (i) operational performance; (ii) financial performance; (iii) social/environmental performance. Results: The main operational result is that the capacity of HL is low which implies a low utilization of the infrastructure. Because the infrastructure costs dominate the total costs, the costs per passenger km are high compared to those for HSR and APT. The HL performs very well regarding the social/environmental aspects because of low energy use, no GHG emissions and hardly any noise. The safety performance needs further consideration. Conclusions: The HL system is promising for relieving the environmental pressure of long-distance travelling, but has disadvantages regarding the operational and financial performances.

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Zero-emission buses (ZEBs) are considered a vital element in the transition to a more sustainable (urban) transport system. Both battery-electric and hydrogen fuel cell buses do however face significant barriers to large-scale implementation. These barriers, e.g. high investment costs and limited driving range, are generally regarded as exogenous technological barriers which are beyond the sphere of influence of actors in the public transport sector. In this paper we question this assumption and therefore we look at the role of institutions in public bus transport. Based on a series of interviews with stakeholders in the Dutch public transport sector we argue that various regulative, normative, and cognitive institutions discourage the use of zero-emission buses in public transport. We conclude with several suggestions for institutional innovation to increase the chances for these buses.

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This paper deals with an analysis of performances of the HL (Hyperloop) transport system considered as an advanced transport alternative to the existing APT (Air Passenger Transport) and HSR (High Speed Rail) systems. The considered performances are operational, financial, social and environmental. The operational performance include capacity and quality of service provided to the system’s users-passengers with attributes such as door-to-door travel time consisting of the access and egress time, schedule delay, in-vehicle time, and interchange time. The economic performances embrace the costs and revenues of operating the system. The costs include that for infrastructure, vehicles, traffic management facilities and equipment, and employees. The revenues embrace earnings from pricing users/passengers. The environmental performances include energy consumption and related emissions of GHGs (Green House Gases), and land use. The social performances are considered to be noise and safety. The analytical models of indicators of these performances are developed and applied to the scenario of operating the HL system on the short- to medium-haul travel distances/routes. These are then compared to the corresponding performances of the HSR and APT. This comparison has shown that the HL system may possess some advantages but also disadvantages regarding particular performances.@en

This chapter focuses on the economic performance and the competitiveness of inland waterway transport. Both its own performance and the performance of inland waterway transport (IWT) versus single mode road transport (and rail transport if applicable) will be analysed.@en

Inland waterways are a host for a mode of transport that is not as visible to the general public or as used as it once was. It is, however, generally perceived to be very important to our freight transport system today, although a closer look into the inland waterway transport system rebuts this perception and reveals the strengths and opportunities of this mode of transportation.@en

To achieve the modal shift projected by public transport policies, intermodal rail transport needs to improve its performance in order to become more attractive. Hub-and-spoke (HS) bundling is an option to improve its performance. It potentially increases the attractiveness of intermodal rail freight services, also for flows that are too small to fill a direct train on the required frequency level. HS bundling can be carried out in different ways (types of hubs, trains and operations). Only some of them lead to competitive transport services. This paper argues that – in many situations – the best HS network employs terminal hubs and shuttle trains, and that the hub terminal should be a real hub terminal. A real hub terminal is designed to fulfil its main function, rail-rail transhipment, effectively and efficiently.

Despite their apparent advantages HS networks with real hub terminals are penetrating the market at a very slow pace. The paper discusses major barriers for a faster implementation, and advocates a change of perception of rail operators, and also of public transport policies. It is recommended that the development of hub terminals is supported by public vision-making and cooperative or more centralised network design within the sector.@en

Report for the Climate-KIC innovation project MUNEP.@en

The innovation policy of the European Union is based on the concept of smart specialization of regions, which means that regions should focus on their comparative strengths. With respect to this policy on transport innovations there is an interest to gain insights in the comparative innovation performances and capacities of regions in the transport sector. Innovation performances and capacities are, however, complex concepts. This paper elaborates an approach to measure and explain the innovation performance of the transport sector at regional level. The approach is based on structural equation modelling and applied to 251 European regions. The results show that high performing regions are predominantly found in Germany and Sweden, while low performing regions are located in Finland, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Spain and United Kingdom. However, the scores of regions on innovation performance are rather different when the performance is measured for the transport manufacturing and transport service sector individually. Among the factors that may explain transport innovation performance of regions funding possibilities appear to be important, while the relevance of innovation milieu is limited.@en