Analysis, modeling, and assessing performances of supply chains served by long-distance freight transport corridors

Abstract

This article deals with an analysis, modeling, and assessing performances of supply chains served by long-distance intercontinental intermodal rail/road-and sea-shipping freight transport corridor(s). For such a purpose, the supply chains are defined and the methodology for assessing their performances under given conditions is developed. The methodology consists of the analytical models of indicators of the operational, economic, environmental and social performances of particular corridors and corresponding supply chains assumed to be dependent on the infrastructural and technical/technological capabilities. The models of particular indicators have been applied according to "what-if" scenario approach to assessing performances of the long-distance intercontinental inland and maritime freight transport corridors spreading between China and Europe in the scope of the "Silk Road Economic Belt" and "A New Maritime Silk Road" policy initiative. The results prove that the intermodal inland rail/road alternative could act as a serious competitive alternative to its maritime deep-sea counterpart under given conditions. Nevertheless, in order to realize the opportunities, large investments in the inland rail/road infrastructure are required to appropriately connect China with Europe.

Principal Component Analysis of the Potential for Increased Rail Competitiveness in East-Central Europe

“…Figure 1 also includes the positions of the examined five Eastern-Central European countries in the two-dimensional principal component space. The results strengthen the findings of Feuerstein et al [14], who stated that different competitiveness influencers have different impact and importance in EU countries. Based on the attribute effects, the clusterization of the examined national rail freight markets can be completed-for better visualization, we constructed Figure 2.…”

“…Demand is considered here as motivation for rail freight service and not as a consequence [13]. In the transportation literature, technical and cost issues are generally examined by statistical techniques [14] while, for preference analyses, multi-criteria decision-making techniques are applied [15]. In our study, influencing factors from both groups were selected and also direct competitiveness indices (Global Competitiveness Index (GCI), GCI6P, GCI2P) have been integrated to elaborate the dependencies of these influencers.…”

The Influence and Development One of the “One Belt, One Road” Cross Border Ethnic Groups on the Economic and Trade Cooperation Between the Central Asian Countries

“…Based on the above algorithm, this paper focuses on the advantages and disadvantages of China's direct investment in the five Central Asian countries [7][8] . This advantage mainly comes from bilateral exogenous factors, so trade will not be included in the independent variable system [9][10] . Finally, three dummy variables representing y1-y3 are introduced as follows:…”

Eliminating Barriers for Sustainable Transport Systems on Maritime Silk Road and Baltic–Adriatic Corridor under BRI

“…The land part of intermodal chains should be organized by rail transport, while just last-mile delivery should use road transport [30]. The results of a study by Wiegmans and Janic [31] show that the use of long-distance rail transport is more environmentally sustainable than the use of maritime connections between Asia and Europe, so it is advisable to shorten the sea route as much as possible. Li and Zhang [32] state that modal shift to rail is highly dependent on pricing policy, where Islam and Mortimer [33] see that the price can be decreased by forming longer trains and with higher transport speed that shortens the wagon turnaround time.…”