Optimization of Inter-Terminal Container Transportation with Space-Time Expansion Graph Model

An integer programming model for ITT（Inter-Terminal Transportation） is built based on the space-time expansion graph, reflecting the effects of the distribution of terminals and the type of transportation equipment on costs. The model is solved for minimum transport costs. A set of valid inequalities is defined according to the model features to speed up the convergence of calculations. A variety of inter-terminal transportation equipment and transportation network arrangements are used to verify the validity of the model and the accelerating effect of valid inequalities. The options for Yangshan port phase V to arrange newly-built terminals, whether to set a barge terminal center or not, are analyzed, and the research says that setting a barge terminal center can reduce total costs by 6%～23%, meantime, the minimum number of vehicles required can decrease by 5%～43%.