TRAVEL DISTANCE THROUGH TRANSPORTATION TERMINALS ON A RECTANGULAR GRID

The number of terminals used in a transportation network affects inventory, transportation and overhead costs. With few terminals, overhead and inventory costs tend to be small, but average travel distance through terminals is large. With many terminals, overhead and inventory costs are large, but average travel distance is small. As a first step toward analyzing this trade-off, this paper develops equations that quantify the relation between number of terminals and average travel distance. These equations are verified by applying them to an example involving the 37 largest cities in the United States. Average travel distance is shown to decrease slowly as the number of terminals increases, declining by no more than one third. Although adding terminals decreases travel distance somewhat, the marginal travel distance reduction quickly becomes quite small. (Author/TRRL)

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/01605682
• Corporate Authors:

  Pergamon Press, Incorporated

  Headington Hill Hall
  Oxford OX30BW,    
• Authors:
  • Hall, R W
• Publication Date: 1984-12

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 1067-78
• Serial:
  • Journal of the Operational Research Society
  • Volume: 35
  • Issue Number: 12
  • Publisher: Sage Publications Limited
  • ISSN: 0160-5682
  • EISSN: 1476-9360
  • Serial URL: https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/tjor20/current

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Calculation; Freight transportation; Intercity transportation; Intermodal terminals; Mathematical analysis; Mathematical models; Networks; Physical distribution; Travel; Trip length
• Uncontrolled Terms: Terminus; Transportation networks
• ITRD Terms: 6471: Analysis (math); 6464: Calculation; 9016: Distribution (gen); 741: Goods traffic; 388: Inter urban; 698: Journey; 6473: Mathematical model; 1054: Network (traffic); 1074: Terminus
• Subject Areas: Freight Transportation; Highways; Planning and Forecasting; Terminals and Facilities; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00394707
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Transport Research Laboratory
• Files: ITRD, TRIS
• Created Date: Jul 31 1985 12:00AM