An Inland Port Location-Allocation Model for a Regional Intermodal Goods Movement System

This research identified and analysed a number of inland port sites in the five counties surrounding Los Angeles, using a location-allocation methodology. It also considered the inland ports' potential for integration into a more efficient regional intermodal goods movement system served by the southern California ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. GIS was used to map the sites where international cargo is processed in the five counties of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Ventura. One hundred transportation zones were determined from a truck travel survey conducted by the ports. These zones represent density points for distribution/processing centres. First, a single facility location model was used to define the proximal location of an inland port that minimises the total truck-miles travelled. Then, we extended this model to a series of location-allocation models with up to six inland port locations included. With no inland port (current system), the total daily vehicle-miles travelled (VMT) is 220,100 miles, and the average trip length is 11.6 miles. As more inland ports are added to the location-allocation model, the total truck-miles travelled is reduced significantly. The new system follows the concept of a ‘satellite inland port’, which is based on a hub-and-spoke configuration. Also, with significant reductions in VMT, a proportional amount of congestion relief and air pollution reduction is expected from this new goods movement framework. The results show that the mathematical approach is a useful platform for initial investigations into inland port site selection. Maritime Economics & Logistics (2008) 10, 362–379. doi:10.1057/mel.2008.17