Overview
Efficient and environmentally friendly modes of transport are of utmost importance for Europe.
The transport in multimodal transport corridors typically involve several operators, each having its own agenda and objectives. Operators optimize their own subsystem, while it is of utmost importance to optimize the whole transport corridor. Multimodal supply chains often follow fixed timetables for the individual transports in the chain. This approach results in e.g. waiting for the next scheduled transport, leading to longer transportation times and storage costs. Upstream delays and disruptions accumulated in the logistics chain lead to further delays and low punctuality. Approaches to remedy the situation are to generate robust timetables capable to accommodate uncertainties (to a given extent), to support dynamic re-planning of timetables, and have active disruption management.
The CO2REOPT project aims at optimizing core supply chains by developing decision support systems for the coordination and synchronization of transports from a supply chain perspective.
In CO2REOPT, the robust and dynamic re-planning of timetables, optimal disruption management, and design of cross-border synchro modal transport chains, will be studied from a supply chain perspective so to
1) adapt timetables to the supply prediction at the origin, the demand at the destinations, and the hub conditions and storage predictions underway, while taking fleet availability and transport leg balance in consideration, and to
2) design optimal cross-border synchro modal transport services.
Two relevant cases will be analysed: the main European iron ore corridor, by railway from Kiruna and Narvik, by ship from Narvik to Rotterdam, and by rail from Rotterdam to central Europe, and the Samskip services between Norway, Sweden, and various locations in Europe via the ports of Rotterdam and Duisburg.