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July 2012 www.sname.org/sname/mt studies, and terminal operator, railroad, and local community concerns, will help POLB decide on an ultimate plan for PBY. Using the model Any major project requires an environmen -tal impact report (EIR); PBY is no dierent. e port is in the process of preparing the EIR now. Part of any EIR looks at the poten -tial air quality eects of the project; this is known as the AQA or air quality analysis. e major contributors to air pollution in the port are trucks and trains. Since they are more ecient, the use of trains is generally considered benecial. PBY is expected to reduce truck trips, but increase the amount of rail trac in the immediate port area. e model was able to report the number of train movements required for the activity and the number of containers moved by rail. is data was used to prepare the AQA, with the increased rail emissions oset by the num -ber of truck trips not needed. Additionally, the model has been used to support several planning studies. For exam -ple, the model was used to determine the reduction in port infrastructure or increase in capacity that could be expected if an inland port is constructed. The stage 3 model Based on the results of stage 2, the engi -neering team completed a nal conceptual layout for PBY. is includes exact lengths and numbers of tracks, and how the dierent areas of the yard and the East Basin are con -nected. Now that a detailed design is on the table, the model has again been upgraded to ask the more traditional modeling ques -tion: ?does this particular concept work?? e stage 3 model is a ?proof of engineer -ing? model?a virtual prototype of the nal layout in actual operation. is model can demonstrate the capabilities of the yard as well as provide a mechanism to ?ne tune? the design in terms of lead design, cross -overs, and other layout details. Another important benet of the stage 3 model is communication. The anima -tion of the stage 3 model is explicit: cars and locomotives can be seen moving about the East Basin, between the terminals and PBY, waiting in PBY, being assembled into trains, and departing. e animation will be used to help explain the project and its benets to port management and other stakehold -ers, to get buy-in on the planned operations from the railroads and terminal operators, and possibly for public outreach. Four analyses (and counting) Though the PBY project is focused on port-area rail, the process of simulating throughout a project can readily benet large engineering projects in almost any discipline. Used early, a high-level simulation helps define the project needs. Once the needs are dened, an upgraded model enables a trade-o analysis between dierent design concepts. As engineering proceeds, specic details can be tested for proper operation; modeling also can help with communication. e project is continuing, with full con -struction expected to be completed by 2021. PBY is one of the largest projects currently planned for POLB; when it is completed, the port will have an integrated rail system instead of today?s collection of tracks. e modeling process has been integral to the project?s prog -ress, and additional analyses are expected. MTen Craig Dickson is a senior analyst at TranSystems, where he has used computer modeling to analyze problems in more than 50 transportation and industrial applications. During the simulation, the model tracked the number of containers in each of the marine terminals. LEARN MORE For more information about the pi er B yard project, visit http:// ww w.polb.com/civica/lebank/ bl obdload.asp?BlobID=6707 For more information about the Any Logic suite of simulation tools, visi t http://www.xjtek.com/ FIGURE 3: STAGE 2 CONTAINERS IN TERMINAL OVER TIME TABLE 2. PERCEPTION OF PERSONAL INJURY, RANKED IN DESCENDING ORDER