Development With Practical Analysis On Freight Transportation Corridors

The sustained economic growth and improvement of people's living standards have greatly stimulated the growth of transport demand, but also directly resulted in traffic structural changes in China. Because of regional differences in terms of resources and unbalanced development, it will form a rectangular area where traffic demand is relatively dense in some areas of rapid economic development, namely, transport corridors. Such corridors need to be studied to provide a higher level of transportation services. Planning and construction of transport corridors have also become one of the most important components of the planning throughout the integrated transport system, which also makes the author to fix the study in the area.On the basis of full consideration of differences in features and relative service levels of different modes in integrated traffic network, we focus on freight transport system's related theory and empirical issues of transport corridors. The main work includes the following aspects.(1) By analyzing the basic types and characteristics of freight corridors, the paper discusses the mode of supply-demand balance about the transportation corridors and the formation of freight corridors, proposes the methods about determining the cover of transportation corridors. Based on above studies, the author summarizes the evolution of freight corridors, and put forward the viewpoints about the power of related regional governmental departments in promoting the growth of transport corridors. The analyses on the comparison of the Rhine and Beijing-Kowloon railway transport corridors have also been given to demonstrate above conclusions.(2) The dissertation analyzes the correlation between social economic development and transportation demand deeply in freight corridors, and analyzes their interaction by qualitative and quantitative method, constructs the index system of the correlation evaluation, proposes the elasticity factor of transportation model and grey relational grade analysis model based on principal component analysis and finally makes an empirical analysis of the evolution of Guang-Shen corridor between 1985 and 2008. The research results show:in initial stage the elements of the largest relational grades with transportation demand of Guang-Shen corridor are economic aggregate (GDP) and the population (urbanization) level and along with the changes of economic structure of the areas among the corridors, the elements change to the indexes reflecting the social and economic activities (total retail sales of consumer goods) rather than the former index GDP, etc. The results above are significant for the research on the formation and evolution of other freight corridors. (3) With techno-economic characteristics of different modes in integrated transportation system, the conceptual framework for the competitiveness of different models in transport corridors is studied. According to the principle of market economy, the dissertation analyses the influence factors via microscopic and macroscopic. Of course, the difference between micro-factors and macro-factors are discussed. Then, the competitiveness model of different transport models including six factors, namely punctuality, rapidity, economical, convenience and goods value, is established. The method for parameters calibration of competitiveness model is proposed. An example shows the application technology of the competitiveness model.(4) The critical theory issues on planning and operation of transport corridors are researched on the basis of the existing transport corridor planning theory. An analysis is made of the freight transport corridors planning methods for demand (users) and supply (government). We rebuild the concept of user cost based on the demand side and system cost based on the supply (government) side and their applying scope. We also point out that the system cost, which indicate the goal of the subject in planning, consist of internal cost and external costs. Of course, it will also affect the freight mode choice by policy and measures. Society balance volume, which is decided by system cost, is smaller than user ideal volume for which is decided by user cost. Further more, the gap between these two volume changes along with the ratio of external cost of system cost.(5) Sustainable Development and service level (efficiency) about the integrated transport system is combined by two generalized cost function. The system cost of the freight corridors is analyzed. The planning principles and objection of comprehensive freight corridors is submitted and based on system cost,the planning framework which makes a further probe into the planning content and point of transportation corridor from three scales:macroscopic, midscopic and microscopic is structured. These results will do favor to region freight transportation system planning and construction.The development of freight transport corridors has impacts on the social variation and economic expansion of related regions both with speed and modes due to the complicated mechanism among factors involved. The thesis only discusses some issues among them, and a systematical and continued study is also necessary for future development.