Fast Screening Method for the Assessment of Freight Demand at the Initial Planning Stage of a New Transport and Logistics Centers

This paper presents an empirical approach that allows pre-feasibility assessment of logistics infrastructure for defined locational and fleet constraints. It aims at developing a fast screening method for the assessment of demand of a public Transport and Logistics Center, which is important for properly selecting the Center’s size and minimising the risk of over or under-estimation of capacity needs. The results are useful for policy makers to facilitate the early planning and commercialisation phases of a TLC project. The method develops the appropriate cost functions in order to compare two logistics strategies: one that involves the use of TLC to achieve economies of scale, and another one that assumes direct deliveries from origin to destination to save time and handling costs. The method has been applied as a pilot study in a case of a regional Center in Greece, advocating its applicability and reusability.