A Timed Petri Nets Model for Intermodal Freight Transport Terminals

This paper presents a general modelling framework for intermodal freight transport terminals. The model allows evaluating the operational performance of such transportation systems, assessing the efficiency level of the terminal and identifying its bottlenecks by suitable performance indices. Moreover, it allows evaluating different solutions to the identified criticalities. The proposed framework is modular and based on timed Petri nets: places represent resources and capacities or conditions, transitions model inputs, flows and activities into the terminal, and tokens are intermodal transport units or the means on which they are transported. A simulation of a case study shows the model effectiveness.