ABSTRACT
This research presents a unique opportunity to investigate an innovative train assembly process to mitigate the risks associated with the rail transport of hazardous materials (HAZMAT). This paper presents the formulation and solution of a risk assessment framework for moving HAZMAT by rail transport. The US Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) databases have been used to develop a risk minimization model for application that incorporates in-transit risk as well as rail-yard train assembly cost/time constraints. The research problem is formulated as a mixed integer programming problem which will be solved using the CPLEX software. The merits of the proposed model are illustrated through a case study highlighting the inadequacies of previous studies.
Keywords: Train assembly, rail transport, hazardous materials, mixed integer programming problem.