Planning Problems in Intermodal Freight Transport ...

Third, multi-criteria analysis can be applied to select the most appropriate location out
of a number of potential sites for an intermodal terminal. Macharis and Verbeke [31] examine
four potential sites for new barge terminals in Belgium by means of a multi-actor, multi-
criteria analysis. Their criteria represent the aims of the actors who are involved, namely the
users of the terminal, the operators/investors and the community as a whole. The evaluation of
the terminal projects was carried out with the GDSS-PROMETHEE-method (Preference
Ranking Organization METHod for Enrichment Evaluations, Macharis et al. [32]). A multi-
criteria analysis is also proposed by Kapros et al. [33] to evaluate intermodal terminal
projects. The central idea in their methodology is the trade-off between public interest and
business interest. Criteria are weighted using the Rembrandt method and location alternatives
are ranked using a linear additive aggregation function.
4. TACTICAL PLANNING
According to Crainic and Laporte [4], the service network design problem is a key
tactical problem in intermodal transport. The service network design problem concerns the
selection of routes on which services are offered and the determination of the characteristics
of each service, particularly their frequency. For each origin-destination pair a routing has to
be specified. A decision needs to be made about the type of consolidation network, general
operating rules for each terminal and work allocation among terminals. Empty balancing
looks for an optimal repositioning of empty vehicles to meet forecast needs of the next
planning period. Crew and motive power scheduling regards the allocation and repositioning
of resources required by the selected transportation plan. The following tactical planning
problems can be defined for each decision maker.