Joint scheduling of trucks and RMGCs under synchronized loading and unloading mode in sea-rail intermodal container terminals

Abstract

The efficient transfer of containers in the sea-rail intermodal mode hinges on the loading and unloading processes within the port's railway operation area and the horizontal transportation of containers. Considering the development trend toward green ports and the imperative to enhance port operational efficiency, this paper delves into the joint scheduling problem of trucks and rail-mounted gantry cranes (RMGCs). Our objective is to minimize the total energy consumption. We establish a comprehensive scheduling model considering practical constraints like the safe operating distance of RMGCs and loading capacity of trucks under the multi-load mode. We design an adaptive large neighborhood search artificial bee colony hybrid algorithm. Experimental results verify the model and algorithm's feasibility, demonstrating that in scenarios involving multi-load applications for container trucks, more efficient and energy-conserving utilization of various equipment can be achieved through collaborative coordination.