Multimodal choice possibilities for different cargo types: application to Belgium

Freight is transported by the use of different cargo types to increase efficiency. However, multimodal freight transport research does not include different commonly used cargo types in its analyses. The literature has illustrated that the cargo types used affects transport, storage and transshipment costs, and consequently cost-based decision making in the supply chain. Moreover, from a practical point of view, it can be seen that local market players have begun to successfully shift new cargo types to rail and inland waterways. This research presents the incorporation of five different commonly used cargo types into an agent-based freight transport model for Belgium. The MATSim freight extension is extended by considering the cargo type used and by adding mode choice to the optimization process. The results demonstrate that the potential for a modal shift varies greatly between the considered cargo types. Solid bulk, liquid bulk and containers show the highest shares for rail and inland waterway transport (35,8%, 48,9% and 29,6% respectively). Moreover, the sensitivity of the modal split towards changes in the transport costs of road transport (+10%) differs according to the cargo type used. Containers are not very sensitive (+1,2%), while pallets (+2,4%), solid bulk (+3,9%) and liquid bulk (+5,9%) show higher increases. Consequently, some cargo types are more favorable for a modal shift than other cargo types. Tthe idea of considering the cargo type as a variable that affects the modal choice is new.