Bi-objective optimization for the multimodal transport path of long and bulky cargo considering traffic interference

Advances in engineering projects increase demand for multimodal transport of long and bulky cargo like wind blades and large transformers. These cargoes incur high costs, cause traffic interference and require infrastructure reconstruction. This article incorporates physical constraints including clearance, turning radius and load capacity, establishes correlations between node arrival times and fuzzy reconstruction times, and integrates traffic interference into the optimization framework. Using epsilon-constraint and CPLEX, Pareto set for minimizing transport cost and traffic interference is obtained. A case study on a wind turbine blade corridor from Baotou to Yancheng, China, reveals that collaborative decisions reduce delay penalties, and the Pareto set provides a basis for adaptable schemes. Highway interference increases nonlinearly with cargo scale and speed, while railway interference intensifies with lower speed ratios and longer blocked sections. The framework is extendable to other cargo types, offering a universal tool for planning multimodal transport of long and bulky cargo.