Evaluating a Water-based Intermodal Transportation System Using Hybrid Simulations in a Case Study

Abstract

Major cities are rapidly expanding, which creates many construction projects with significant influences on inner city travel, particularly by heavy vehicles. Bigger construction projects create a sudden, and sometimes long lasting, influx of heavy vehicles in areas surrounding the construction sites which puts strain on the ordinary infrastructure in the area. Many bigger cities are now looking for untapped potential and are shifting their focus towards inner city waterways as a way to alleviate the traffic from the road. Masthuggskajen, a particularly large construction project that is part of RiverCity Gothenburg, is conducted next to the river and serves as a case study for a potential water-based intermodal transportation system for RiverCity as a whole. This thesis project uses hybrid simulation, a combination of Discrete-event Simulation (DES) and Agent Based Modelling (ABM), in order to evaluate the proposed inner city waterway transportation system’s capabilities. The project aims to evaluate the performance of the system regarding capacity and emissions, it also aims to identify issues with the system during periods of varying logistical intensity during construction. The simulations show promising results for a partial transition to a water-based transportation system, both in regards to traffic reduction, but also to reduce emissions in the city.