A last-mile delivery system for underground logistics with "self-pickup plus " and "home-entry plus " modes

Underground logistics systems (ULSs) are emerging low-carbon, energy-saving, and ground-space-saving logistics and transportation approaches that rely on underground tunnels/pipelines for freight transportation. Thus, they will effectively solve the urban logistics dilemma caused by the rapid growth of express parcel volumes in China, especially concerning last-mile delivery in cities, which is currently one of the most expensive and least efficient parts of the entire logistics and transportation process. We designed a three-level (i.e., city, regional, and neighborhood) last-mile delivery system (LDS) for express parcel transportation according to a metro-based ULS (M - ULS). We categorized the LDS into two modes: "self-pickup +" and "home-entry +." According to different needs, we then applied the system to five different scenario-mode combinations: "self-pickup + metro stations," "self-pickup + shopping malls," "self-pickup + communities," "home-entry + communities," and "home-entry + office buildings." Finally, using an urban sub-center in China as a case study, we analyzed efficiency and emission reduction of LDS in the five scenario-mode combinations with different freight volumes and verified the validity of the proposed system. This system has great potential for solving last-mile delivery challenges and provides new ideas and technical solutions for planning and designing future ULSs.