Sharif Digital Repository

This research is focused on optimization of empty freight railcars circulation by assuming cooperation among shipping companies. The objectives are twofold: first, to develop an efficient and effective model which can provide a useful management tool to improve freight car utilization for shipping companies; second, to show the advantages of Horizontal Logistics Cooperation (HLC).Two formulations have been developed for the empty railcar distribution problem, both seeking to find how railcars move not only at the lowest possible cost but also at the lowest possible delays under supply limitation and demand satisfaction. The problem is first formulated as a single-commodity network flow model...