Study of Optimal Number and Location of Intermodal Railway Yards: A Case Study of Sugar Transportation in Northeastern Region of Thailand
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
Thailand is the second largest sugar exporter in the world. Most sugar is transported from its factories to domestic ports via road freight. However, railway has proven to be a more cost-effective alternative mode. This research is aimed at determining the optimal number and locations of intermodal railway yards by adopting cluster analysis technique called K-means. The clustering decision criteria include factory production capacity, transportation cost and distance between each factory to its nearest railway station. The results show that transportation of sugar by rail in the northeastern region of Thailand via intermodal railway yards as proposed in this research can save transportation cost by 73.48 percent with respect to that of road transportation. The economic analysis shows that by the year 2050, the net present value of the project is 6.24 billion baht where the economic internal rate of return is 13.70 percent per
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
The articles published are the opinion of the author only. The author is responsible for any legal consequences. That may arise from that article.
References
Office of the Cane and Sugar Board. (2018). The production report granulated sugar yearly of factory nationwide. [Online] (in Thai). Available: http://www.ocsb.go.th/upload/journal/fileupload/923-9040.pdf
R. Preecha, M. Jungtrakoon, K. Seekongpet, and W. Ratchawetchakul. (2017). New context of Thai cane and sugar factory.[Online] (in Thai). Available: https://www.bot.or.th/Thai/MonetaryPolicy/NorthEastern/Doclib_Seminar60/41_Paper_SugarcaneIndust.pdf
H. M. Bittela, A. T. D. Perera, D. Mauree, and J.-L. Scartezzinia, “Locating multi energy systems for a neighborhood in Geneva using K-means clustering,” Energy Procedia, vol. 122, pp. 169–174, 2017.
R. Kuo, L. Ho, and C. M. Hu, “Integration of self-organizing feature map and K-means algorithm for market segmentation,” Computers & Operations Research, vol. 29, no. 11, pp. 1475–1493, 2002.
W. Yu, F. Zhao, W. Yang, and H. Xu, “Integrated analysis of CFD simulation data with K-means clustering algorithm for soot formation under varied combustion conditions,” Applied Thermal Engineering, vol. 153, pp. 299-305, 2019.
V. Kanlaya, Multivariate Analysis (Cluster Analysis). Bangkok: Department of Statistics Chulalongkorn Business School, 2009 (in Thai).
V. Varameth. (2016). A project to study transportation cost and distribution of goods to support the development of freight stations all over the coutry. [Online] (in Thai). Available: http://www.thaitruckcenter.com/tdsc/ViewFile.aspx?fpath=FileDoc&sname=kudltcost_v122.xlsm&fname=kudltcost_v122.xlsm
State Railway of Thailand, “Container group,” State Railway of Thailand, Bangkok, Thailand, 2019 (in Thai).
Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning. (2014). The education development for increase efficiency of continuous transport Various system connect with area final report. [Online] (in Thai). Available: http://www.otp.go.th/uploads/tiny_uploads/ProjectOTP/2556/Project5-ProjectBase/e-book/index.html
M. Mathagul, “ Economic value analysis of a delayed public construction project : A case study of the Nakhon Sawan province eastern bypass project,” UBU Engineering Journal, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 9–21, 2013 (in Thai).
Department of Highway. (2010). Study on economic engineering and environmental impact the Nakhon Sawan province eastern bypass project. [Online] (in Thai). Available: http://planning.doh.go.th/node/432
D. Ribbink, A. van Riel, and J. Semeijn, “Policy decisions and modal choice: An example from the European Union,” Transportation Journal, vol. 44, no. 1, pp. 33–44, 2005.
C. Inmuang. (2010, August). Modeling transport costs and modal shifts in freight transport: A case of Thailand. [Online] (in Thai). Available: https://thesis.eur.nl/pub/33259/Inmuang-C.-Modeling-Transport-Costs-and-Modal-Shiftsin-Freight-Transport-A-Case-of-Thailand.pdf
T.-E. S. Hanssen, T. A. Mathisen, and F. Jørgensen, “Generalized transport costs in intermodal freight transport,” Social and Behavioral Sciences, vol. 54, pp. 189–200, 2012.