Optimization of wood distribution and transportation network with emphasis on rail ‎transport

The main purpose of this study is determination of optimal wood distribution and transportation Network in Iran with emphasis on railways. For this purpose, a simple distribution and transportation model was created for seven groups of wood in GAMS 24.1.3 software. This transportation model is simple, the planning horizon is one year and the transportation method is both road and road-rail. The results showed that after optimization, in the road-rail method, 6.86% of total wood will be transported by rail network and 93.14% will be transported by road network. This method reduces the total cost of transportation by 24.02% compared to the actual conditions in the road transport method. In the road method, after optimization, the total cost is reduced by 22.31%. This cost reduction in both methods is related to the optimal distribution of wood from the distribution bases to the receiving bases and the appropriate selection of the cargo fleet based on the tonnage of the load and the radius of shipment. In the optimal transportation distance in the road-rail method 45.36% and in the road method 43.42% and the number of loads respectively 34.77 and 29.04% compared to the conditions Non-optimal will be reduced. Given the high rate of wood consumption in Iran and the importance of improving productivity indicators in the field of freight costs as one of the strategic goals of the transportation sector in the coming years, the need to recognize and create a chain of distribution and optimal transportation of wood is remarkable.