Operational costs and externalities in optimal intermodal network design

Abstract

Transportation of goods is essential for the economy but also leads to harmful impacts related to human health aspects. Intermodal transport is promoted by Europe to reduce these negative externalities. The objective of this paper is to analyze at the strategic level how the flow repartition varies between three modes (road, intermodal rail and intermodal inland waterway) according to different implemented policies. A mathematical allocation model is developed and tested on the Belgian case study, in order to determine the observed changes between the single minimization of (operational or health-related external) costs and the introduction of additional road taxes.