Supporting the Planning of Dedicated CargoTube Links Through Simulation
摘要
CargoTube adopts the hyperloop concept and has the potential to ultimately reducing the total energy requirement of transportation and therefore minimizing the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions beyond the capabilities of surface or airborne transport. However, CargoTube relies on more conventional and readily available track technology, like a train or streetcar, to guide and propel the vehicle within the tube. Large diameter steel tubes such as those used in gas or water pipeline infrastructure can be adopted. The CargoTube concept results in a balance between performance, efficiency, and lifetime cost to provide an intermodal cargo transport system for industrial logistics and transportation corridors. This paper presents how the planning of specific CargoTube routes can be supported by means of an example drawn from the EU-funded research project ePIcenter (epicenterproject.eu/). The example connects a Logistics Service Park (LSP) with an automobile production site. The application of the planning is supported by a discrete event simulation to assess the impact of innovative transportation technologies by simulating selected Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) under different technological assumptions.