Student Seminar by Ms. Xinyi Zhu on Nov 26, 2025, 1PM

Title: Resource allocation for an air-rail-integrated co-modality platform considering both demand and supply uncertainties

Speaker: Ms. Xinyi Zhu (Department of Aeronautical and Aviation Engineering, Hong Kong Polytechnic University)

Date: Nov 26, 2025 (Wednesday)

Time: 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm

Venue: Room 8-28, Haking Wong Building, The University of Hong Kong

Registration Link: https://forms.office.com/r/1nLK1SMMHh 

ITS Student Committee will provide light refreshments and drinks for registered participants.

Abstract: The co-modal mode, i.e., passenger-and-freight mixed transportation, has received increasing interest, given the rapid growth of parcel volume and its potential to save transportation costs. This paper examines an air-rail-integrated co-modal mode that utilizes the excess capacity of passenger trains and flights considering uncertainties in both supply and demand. On the supply side, uncertainty arises from travel time delays of passenger trains and flights. On the demand side, while historical data on cargo orders are available, such as volume distribution between each origin and destination pair, the daily cargo orders/demands remain uncertain and will be revealed in real-time. We aim to dynamically allocate these resources (excess capacity of trains and flights) to serve cargo orders while effectively accommodating uncertainties. To address this problem, a two-stage stochastic programming model is developed to minimize the total costs associated with cargo transportation, holding, transshipment, delays, and ad-hoc service options (when the co-modal mode is unavailable). The sample average approximation solution approach, embedded with an adaptive large neighborhood search algorithm, is employed to solve the problem. The above model and algorithm are implemented in a rolling horizon framework to make time-dependent resource allocation decisions. The test instances are generated based on rail and air transportation data in Hong Kong (with Hong Kong West Kowloon Station and Hong Kong International Airport). Numerical studies and sensitivity analysis are conducted to evaluate (i) the benefits of the air-rail-integrated co-modality, (ii) the effectiveness of the proposed solution algorithm, and (iii) the impact of demand/supply characteristics on the air-rail-integrated co-modality operation.

Bios: Xinyi Zhu is a third-year Ph.D. candidate in the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. She had previously received her master's degree from Shanghai Jiao Tong University in 2023 and her bachelor's degree from Dalian Maritime University in 2020. Her research centers on transportation modeling, with a particular focus on multimodal transport network design under uncertainty. Her research has been published in transportation journal such as Transportation Research Part C, and has presented her work at major international conferences, including POMS International Conference in China (POMS China), the International Conference of the Hong Kong Society for Transportation Studies (HKSTS), and the Air Transport Research Society (ATRS) World Conference.

CPD Course: Fiscal Measures for Combatting Traffic Congestion in Hong Kong (Jan 10, 2026)

CPD Course: Fiscal Measures for Combatting Traffic Congestion in Hong Kong

Organized by

The Institute of Transport Studies

The University of Hong Kong

Date:   January 10, 2026

Time:   2 p.m. – 6 p.m. 

Format:  In-person Lecture

Venue:   HW 612B, 6/F Haking Wong Building, The University of Hong Kong 

Ir. Alfred Lam

Dr. Timothy Hau

SYNOPSIS 

Traffic congestion adversely affects the development and productivity of cities and the livelihood of their residents and visitors. This course explores the rudimentary and sophisticated fiscal measures for addressing traffic congestion in Hong Kong and overseas.  The effectiveness of the first registration tax (FRT), vehicle license fee (VLF), fuel levy and passage tax is examined with regards to local transport policy. The merits of introducing time-varying tolling at the three road harbour crossings as of December 17, 2023 are explored. New measures, such as quota premium for controlling vehicle ownership and electronic road pricing for reducing traffic movement in an area, shall also be advanced. In addition to the planning and engineering analyses, a transportation economics approach is delved into. Starting from first economic principles, the efficacy of the pricing approach is investigated. Congestion pricing curtails excess traffic and results in travel time saved which otherwise would have been lost. A congestion charge aims to internalize the congestion externality. Since a congestion charge is calculated on the incremental congestion cost that a motorist causes other vehicles behind him to slow down, all vehicles should be charged rather than merely singling out the automobile. Emergency vehicles are the only ones to be exempted. As a proxy measure for congestion, a congestion charge should be based on the road space taken up by a vehicle when moving in a traffic stream. Congestion charging based on the road space taken up by a vehicle by time of day and location is both efficient and fair. A brief economic assessment of several overseas practices to date includes Singapore’s Area Licensing Scheme (1975) followed by its Electronic Road Pricing System (1998), London (2003), Stockholm (2007), Milan (2007), Gothenberg (2013) and New York City (as of January 5, 2025).

Language:  English

CPD Credit: This short course is recommended for four CPD-hour credits.

e-Certificate of Attendance will be issued to attendees.

Rundown:                  2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Lecture by Alfred C.Y. Lam

                                    3:30 p.m. – 3:45 p.m. Break                                      

                                    3:45 p.m. – 5:45 p.m. Lecture by Timothy D. Hau

                                    5:45 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Q&A session                        

(This program is subject to minor modifications without further notice.)

Registration fee:        HK$880 per person

All payments are non-refundable.

Registration:              Please visit our website:

https://hkuems1.hku.hk/hkuems/ec_hdetail.aspx?guest=Y&ueid=104111 for online registration. The deadline for the registration will be on 8 January 2026 (Thursday).

Enquiries:                  For general enquiries, please contact Dr. Mingxuan CHEN (email: hkits@hku.hk).

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

Ir Alfred C.Y. Lam is Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering and the Department of Geography at the University of Hong Kong. He was Chief Engineer (Transport Planning) in the Transport Department and has been working as a transport planner and engineer in government departments and consultancy firms for over four decades. He worked on a wide range of transport planning and traffic engineering projects in Hong Kong and overseas and garnered extensive experience in planning for new highways and formulating transport policies. He is conversant in developing and applying transport and traffic models to produce traffic and transport demand forecasts for assessing alignment, configuration and tolling. He conducted and managed numerous traffic impact studies and transport projects involving traffic and transport surveys, travel demand analyses, traffic engineering designs and assessments. He continues to teach transport planning and supervises dissertation work at the master’s degree level at the University of Hong Kong.

Dr Timothy D. Hau is Honorary Associate Professor of Economics, HKU Business School. He obtained his B.A. from Stanford, and M.A. and Ph.D. in economics from U.C. Berkeley. He taught at U.C. Davis before joining HKU. The World Bank invited him to work as an economist in its Transport Division, Infrastructure and Urban Development Department in the nineties. He also worked in its Public Economics Division, Policy Research Department. His World Bank papers on the theory and mechanisms of road use charging have been widely circulated and cited in the academic and professional literature. He was once awarded the Faculty Outstanding Teacher Award. His single-authored papers have appeared in journals such as Economica, Economics Letters, Journal of Transport Economics and Policy, Built Environment, Transportation Research B, and Transportmetrica. The International Encyclopedia of Transportation 2021 carries his four entries on congestion pricing, public transportation pricing, road investment, and an Electronic Road Pricing proposal for Hong Kong. Besides the WB, he provided policy advice to the ADB, IADB, UN, and the National Research Council (US).

Non-financial sponsor:

The Chartered Institution of Highways & Transportation (Hong Kong Branch)

The Chartered Institution of Logistics and Transport

Future Cities Symposium 2025: Nov 14-15 @ Hong Kong, Nov 17 @ Dubai

The symposium will theme at “Innovate to Elevate through Digital Urbanism”, which highlights the pivotal role of innovation and technology play in reshaping urban environments. By focusing Mobility, Construction, and Innovation, this theme underscores the necessity of collaborative efforts in creating sustainable and efficient ecosystem.

Jointly organised by HKU’s Joint Lab on Future Cities (JLFC) and the Royal College of Art’s Future Cities Lab, and the strategic partners, the symposium will translate years of academic research regarding the development of future cities, from Hong Kong, the Greater Bay Area to GCC countries and the UK and EU countries, into actionable insights for industry leaders, policymakers, and an international delegation, fostering a dialogue that moves from theoretical discovery to practical, ethical, and regenerative implementation. Through targeted exhibitions, presentations, and networking forums, the symposium will connect these innovators with a global audience of policymakers, industry leaders, and investors, showcasing the tangible value and commercial potential of interdisciplinary academic collaboration.

The symposium has invited more than 40 prominent international speakers, 30 engaging showcase exhibitors, and 300 participants from diverse industries. The date, venue, and registration information are as follows:

Official website: https://www.fcsymposium.com/

Date: Nov 14,&15 (Hong Kong), Nov 17 (Dubai)

Venue: CyberArena, Cyberport & Motto by Hilton Hong Kong SoHo (Hong Kong), Palace Downtown (Dubai)

Registration link: https://www.fcsymposium.com/price