Urban Freight Intermodal Transport: An Analogue Theory Using Electrical Circuits Paul Charles Beavis A thesis submitted in fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy School of Civil and Environmental Engineering University of New South Wales Sydney, Australia Urban Freight Intermodal Transport: An Analogue Theory Using Electrical Circuits Abstract Container Seaports co-located with populations in Australian cities generate and attract inexorable, increasing discrete- diffuse flows which lead to landside access constraints and conflicts. Network models in freight transport are deficient in addressing demand management initiatives to ecologically re-structure the landside container freight task. Conventional freight planning stages road building and port expansion to facilitate mobility and container storage, and a vicious, inefficient cycle ensues. The miss-specification of modelling and planning frameworks is due to a conceptualisation of node impedance as a constraint phenomenon rather than as a necessary measure of precision. This thesis pioneers an activity-based approach to theoretically support investigations towards the adoption of urban freight intermodalism. A necessary signature of true transhipment- consolidation network formulations is the capture of service generation and inter-temporal storage mechanisms. Intermodal terminals offer a means to retrofit existing road-rail networks so that modes interface and deliver consolidation and accessibility outcomes. The essences captured are the changing value proposition and precision relations necessary to harmonise terminal complex activity with rail operating forms. Analytical relations are proposed using electrical circuit and process control theories to represent impedance relations based on new flux variables and sparse system parameters. This transhipment calculus allows for precision specifications to be measured according to novel “Figures of Merit” which assess storage-handling and throughput trade-offs. To show potential model applications case studies are presented of alternate system formats in Waste transportation and the management of Seaport-Hinterland conflicts. Attributes of Hinterland Absorptive Capability illustrated include rail sidings activation and bi-modal overflow to support terminal space management. Resulting design criteria indicate node impedance requirements to deliver dispatch rail payloads. The contribution made in this thesis is a new measure of impedance which allows for the investigation of utilisation of the terminal and its network. The thesis outlines an authentic freight intermodal science to be developed for sketch-planning satellite intermodal functions. The model framework demonstrates complex bundling initiatives and acts as a load following mechanism for coordination of the freight task. This leads to future research to address the multi-modal, multi-commodity, flow problem. Overall, the thesis contributes to measuring the effectiveness of transport infrastructure stock by modelling terminal retrofit leverage options. Originality Statement ‘I hereby declare that this submission is my own work and to the best of my knowledge it contains no materials previously published or written by another person, or substantial proportions of material which have been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma at UNSW or any other educational institution, except where due acknowledgement is made in the thesis. Any contribution made to the research by others, with whom I have worked at UNSW or elsewhere, is explicitly acknowledged in the thesis. I also declare that the intellectual content of this thesis is the product of my own work, except to the extent that assistance from others in the project's design and conception or in style, presentation and linguistic expression is acknowledged.’ Signed …………………………………………….............. Date …………………………………………….............. Our diagnosis of the vital systems of cities … remains primitive; therefore the basis of most forecasts is questionable (Ausubel and Herman, 1988) One of the major objectives of science is to elucidate the dynamics of change (Nicolis and Prigogine, 1977), To Ruby and Max, Natalie and Lucinda, Acknowledgements I would like to firstly thank Drs. Graham Turner and James Lennox of the CSIRO who introduced me to the systems “model”, Australian Stocks and Flows Framework where I did my early analysis on transportation and infrastructure stocks. Through this work I became conversant with the seemingly imponderable obstacles in achieving de-materialisation of the freight task. I would like to thank Francesca Porta and Francesca Machetti of Politecnico di Milano who worked as research students with me at UNSW over the Australian Spring of 2006 on the Waste Case Study and who helped construct the Powersim simulation. This helped me think about what was lacking in system dynamics and discrete event modelling for decision-support in intermodal planning. I am also grateful to Vioelia (Collex) Ltd who allowed me to visit their Matraville and Clyde Transfer Stations several times and bombard their managers with questions, which they answered comprehensively and cheerfully. I am grateful for several academics who guided my research, in discussions or through their literature, into understanding the essence of intermodal operations: to Pete Tapio, of Finland Futures Institute, who helped me conceptualise de-materialisation efforts for transportation; to Johan Woxenius, formerly of Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, who has written widely on the need to interface terminal operations with rail operating forms and who pricked my interest in researching a time composition of freight; to Chris Skinner of University of Sydney who suggested I consider electrical circuit theory in my search to better define freight impedance relationships; to Jean-Paul Rodrigue of Hofstra University for his innovative work on terminals in transport geography. These interfaces were epochal moments in the thesis development. For the seaport-hinterland case study, I wish to thank Michael Pfeiffer of the Victorian Department of Transport for his work in developing feasible shuttle intermodal schedules for Dandenong and Altona and advising me on the implications of different intermodal sidings configurations. Likewise I am indebted to Messers Adrian Polton and Hugh Gaynor of the Department of Transport for sharing their wisdom on freight train operations. These discussions added invaluably to the credibility of the intermodal operations and train service dispatch scenarios discussed. I wish to thank Kim Hassall of University of Melbourne for his assistance in stressing the need for model tractability on the basis of the governance and business rules it could test. To my supervisors, Stephen Moore, Iain MacGill, and John Black, thank you for prompting and prodding me to find and then prototype the essence of my thesis. Thanks also for your moral support over at times long distances. To my father, Charles, who helped me understand the facts and some of the art in electrical circuit theory, I give you my love and admiration. To my partner Thomas and the rest of my family- your support has been tremendous. Paul Charles Beavis Melbourne, April 2010 Publications This thesis is underpinned by a number of publications: Chapter 1 scope was in part based on a workshop held in Sydney on 28th May, 2006 and the resulting report: Beavis, P., E. Blakely, J.A Black (2006) Critical Transportation Infrastructure in a Global Warming Future: Protecting NSW Seaports and their Hinterland. Report on Workshop held 25th May, 2006 at University of Sydney by the Botany Bay Studies Unit, UNSW and Planning Research Centre, University of Sydney: 16pp. funded by the Commonwealth Scientific, Industry and Research Organisation (CSIRO) Education Endowment Fund. Chapter 2 has been presented in part in: Beavis, P., J.A. Black, J. Lennox, G. Turner, S. Moore (2009) Industrial Ecology Futures Scenarios: The Design Approach in Transportation. In Dynamics of Industrial Eco-Systems. Ruth and Davidsdottir (eds.) Edward Elgar. Pp. 179-200. Chapter 3 has been presented in: Beavis, P., J.A. Black, R.Golzar (2005) Functional Specification of Strategic Urban Freight Models: Modelling Attributes for the Port and Landside Freight Task in Sydney. Journal of The East Asia Society of Transportation Studies (EASTS) Vol. 6, 2005 16pp. which was based on an industry research report commissioned by the Australian Toll Roads operator, Transurban Infrastructure Developments. Chapters 5, 6, and 8 have been outlined in: Beavis, P. J.A.Black, I.MacGill, J.Woxenius, S.Moore (2007) Distributed Function Hinterland: Functional Design of Container Intermodal Terminal Systems for Sydney. World Conference on Transport Research (WCTRS), University of California, Berkeley, 24th -28th June 2007 Chapter 7 has been presented in part in: Beavis, P., S. Bartoli, F. Michetti, F. Porta, S. Moore (2006) Intermodal Transportation Design for Waste Recovery 28th Conference of Australian Institutes of Transport Research (CAITR) 6-8th December, University of New South Wales Glossary The definitions in this Glossary specific to this thesis are designated with the prefix [L]. Where these terms have alternate meanings, such as in electrical power circuit theory, this will be recognised by [E]. The origin of the definitions used in this thesis indicate the work in progress in applying the analogue. Authors referred to are those who have coined and applied these