Optimizing Intermodal Transport and Hub Location Problem for ECOWAS in the Context of Improving Intra-African Trade

Table 1

Transportation nodes and network topological structures.

Type	Explanation	Network	Topological structures
Direct transportation	No transshipments on the way, fast travel speed, and more trains and trucks empty with less than truckload	Point-to-point network
Pure hub-and-spoke transportation network	A higher proportion of trains and trucks carrying loads with potentially increased delays, unreliability, and poor timeliness of transportation	Hub-and-spook network
Consolidation transportation	High proportions of trains and trucks carry loads, reduced overall transport time, and unreliability	Hybrid hub-and-spook