Exploring the Impact of a Railway Corridor on Intermodal Service Networks and Industrial Location: A Land-Use Transport Interaction Modeling Approach

Given the intricate interactions among the economy, land use, and transportation, it is important to assess the multifaceted impacts of the freight corridor on these systems. This study introduces a land-use transport interaction (LUTI) modeling approach to quantify the scope and magnitude of the impact of a railway corridor on the distribution of freight flows within an intermodal service network and industrial locations. The proposed model operates on two levels to analyze regional interactions between industrial locations and transportation dynamics. The upper-level model simulates the industrial interactions among regions. Meanwhile, at the lower level, interregional trade connections are converted into freight demand, which is then assigned to a transportation network. Calibration of the trip length distribution is achieved by integrating data from truck GPS, railway waybills, and ship visas to develop a connection between the intermodal service networks and economic systems. The improved model offers a LUTI modeling approach tailored for the context of intermodal transportation, considering economies of scale associated with intermodal transportation services. It can not only analyze the impact of a freight corridor on freight flow redistribution but also identify areas that may be adversely affected by such redistributions. Taking the Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB) as a case study, study results indicate significant enhancements in the economies of scale of railway services within the middle part of the YREB due to the development of the Haoji Railway Corridor (HRC). These changes significantly influence the location utility of industrial activities, with the coal processing activities demonstrating the most sensitivity to the evolving transportation dynamics. This study offers insights into LUTI modeling approaches specifically tailored for intermodal transportation.