A comparison of different container sorting systems in modern rail-rail transshipment yards. (September 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Fedtke, Stefan; Boysen, Nils
• Is Part Of: Transportation research. Volume 82(2017)
• Page Start: 63
• Page End: 87
• Publication Date: 2017-09
• Subjects: Railway -- Container logistics -- Rail-rail transshipment yards -- Sorter scheduling; Transportation -- Periodicals; Transportation -- Technological innovations -- Periodicals; 388.011
• DOI: 10.1016/j.trc.2017.06.012
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0968-090X

Abstract

Highlights: We consider container sorting systems for modern rail-rail transshipment yards. Scheduling procedures for four different shuttle systems are developed. In a comprehensive computational study all four systems are compared. Especially, rubber-tired lift & shuttle systems are shown to perform well. Abstract: Rail-rail transshipment yards act as central hub nodes within a railway network and enable a rapid consolidation of containers between different freight trains. To avoid an excessive movement of gantry cranes when transferring a container from one train to another, modern yards apply sorting systems where shuttle cars move containers horizontally along the spread of the yard. This paper compares four elementary sorting systems. Specifically, we compare rubber-tired and rail-mounted shuttles and differentiate whether a pure shuttle system or a lift & shuttle system is applied. In pure shuttle systems, a shuttle receives a container from a crane and transports it towards the destination crane, where it serves as a storage device until being unloaded. A lift & shuttle system applies shuttles with an integrated lifting platform, so that they are able to autonomously store and receive containers from a separate storage rack. Both alternatives exist in rubber-tired and rail-mounted versions. As the shuttles are the main driver of the investment costs, we compare the required fleet size for timely supplying given gantry crane schedules within all four systems. For this purpose, we derive suited scheduling procedures. This way, decision support for yard managers having to identify a suited sorting system and to layout a new terminal is provided.