Sustainability Criteria for a Piggyback System

Abstract

Achieving the goals of the sustainable development concept stimulates the use of multimodal systems and intermodal cargo delivery technologies in supply chains. The configuration of the network structure of supply chains in this case becomes more complex following the increase in the number of participants and the diversity of technical and technological parameters of transport systems. The authors have analysed the problems of using piggyback technology as part of supply chains.The objective of this study is to establish a set of universal characteristics of piggyback systems that determine their sustainability in supply chains. The study used a systems approach to present piggyback technology as to a complex technical system, the main elements of which are intermodal transport units, railway rolling stock and terminals connected by the technology and organisation of piggyback transportation. A developed original system of criteria for choosing a piggyback system considers the current trend in development of transport systems and supply chains from the perspective of their sustainable development.It is shown that the decision to use piggyback systems as part of sustainable supply chains must be made based on amulti-criteria assessment of the parameters of all elements and relationships within these systems. The system of criteria developed by the authors allows adequate evaluating piggyback systems, coordinate their engineering and technological parameters, and also justify decisions on unification of intermodal transport units.