Assessment of equilibrium accessibility for import/export containers in hub-and-spoke transport network: Impact of international land-sea trade corridor

In Asia, the international land-sea trade corridor (ILSTC) is undergoing significant expansion, notably through the China Railway Express (CR-Express) and the export tax rebate at the departure port with Port of Yangpu as gateway. This expansion plays a pivotal role in shaping the accessibility for import/export containers in the hub-and-spoke transport network (A-IEC-HSTN). This paper delves into analyzing the ILSTC’s impacts and introduces an approach assessing the equilibrium accessibility for import/export containers in the hub-and-spoke transport network (EA-IEC-HSTN), tailored to consider the impact of emerging policies like ILSTC. To examine how ILSTC affects transport accessibility and shapes stakeholder behaviors, a tri-level model is developed which synergistically combines the port investment decision model, liner shipping schedule design model, and multinomial logit model (MNL), all enriched by the incorporation of a gravity model. This tri-level model is combined with a classic transport accessibility framework to quantify EA-IEC-HSTN in the context of ILSTC when no stakeholders can gain more profit through changing their activities. This study offers a comprehensive examination of the EA-IEC-HSTN, the strategic investment of the Port of Yangpu, the liner shipping schedule and the associated incremental export freight demand. This paper markedly advances the understanding of trade transport network dynamics, offering critical insights that are invaluable for stakeholders and policymakers in the realm of international trade and transport policy.