Dry port is a potential solution for better inland seaport capabilities access. Surely, the success of the implementation of dry port is related to the investigation and identification of the impediments and the ways we want to develop advanced intermodal terminals. In order to find the way of establishing dry port in Iran, interviews and literature review have been carried out. We used a hybrid approach based on DEMATEL and DELPHI methods to discover essential factors of implementation of dry port in Iran and casual relationship between them. The most common and important factors that affect on dry port implementation classified in 8 variables and we suggested a conceptual model. The propose behind the study is to contribute to a better understanding of the way of accomplishment of dry port projects in Iran.

The dry port is an intermediate terminal terminal that is directly connected to seaports and has a high capacity in terms of vehicles from which consumers can pick up or drop off standard Kalara units. This port is a combined terminal on the shore that is connected to the coastal port. Necessary and sufficient equipment to deal with traffic caused by several modes of transportation, including rail and air, and customers can receive or deliver their goods in different ways. Dry port is considered as a low risk base for sustainable national development. The dry port consists of several sections, some of which include a safe area with ports for entry and exit, separate roofed and open warehouses for import, export and transport, and for perishable goods, high-value shipments and full shipments. Risk, warehousing facilities including customs guaranteed warehousing, suitable place to stop the fleet with sufficient parking space for the cargo fleet, office building in accordance with the approved plans in principle agreement for customs and other applicants such as freight forwarders, shipping agencies, Clearance of customs goods, banks and other related services, customs services and logistics services.

While it is very easy to evaluate different factors of the port development in view of construction and management, supporting elements of the port are adherent to variables which are out of the control out of port authorities; therefore, this paper tries to recognize these elements, compare different port development models, select the best logistic and development model, and investigate the priority of creating some zones as developed areas in the regions separated from the ports which are capable of presenting advanced logistic services with the aim of easing movements and increase satisfaction of customers in long-term and short-term. Port development to a the large extent depends on the port location and infrastructures like authorized land, local and regional facilities, industrial centers, geographical situation, and environment play greater role than other indexes. The first reason for selecting Bandar-Anzali is its priority for the development of logistic activity zone (LAZ) and then the development of dry port (DR) and finally the logistic park (LP).

Given that different factors in terms of port development and port management too easily review, but factors that support the is subject to variables outside the scope of the port authority. Term and long term objectives of this article are offer. The development of any port in a situation in which the related infrastructure such as land and infrastructure, local and regional facilities, industrial facilities, geographical location, environment a higher priority than other factors involved in the development of port priority and preferred choice for port The development of logistics activities in the Port Logistics Park is dry.

This research has been done in order to investigate the role of the dry port and its different dimensions and its effects on the regional development of Zahedan. The primary objective is to analyze key factors influencing the establishment of a dry port and its impacts on Zahedan and the broader Sistan and Baluchestan provinces. Dry ports, as essential infrastructure in transportation and logistics, facilitate transportation flows, reduce transit costs, enhance logistical capacity, and improve quality of life. Given Zahedan’s strategic location near Afghanistan and Pakistan, developing a dry port could accelerate economic growth, create employment, and strengthen regional trade relations. This project is expected to enhance trade relations between Iran and neighboring countries, contributing to economic stability in the region. This research adopts a mixed-methods explanatory approach. In the quantitative section, 109 questionnaires were analyzed using SPSS 21, with the Friedman test used to prioritize key factors. The most significant factors identified include economic impacts, infrastructure quality, and employment conditions. The qualitative section involved 24 interviews with experts in transportation, logistics, and commerce, analyzed using open, axial, and selective coding in Maxqda 24.4. The combination of these methods provides a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of the topic. The findings highlight several critical factors in dry port development, including the geographical location, control over traffic impacts, availability of economic infrastructure, and its role in stimulating regional economic growth. Additionally, access to multi-modal transportation )rail, road, and air(, unemployment reduction, job creation, sustainable economic development, and the expansion of shipping agency services are crucial elements identified. Qualitative interviews revealed that a dry port in Zahedan could lower transportation costs, accelerate exports, attract both domestic and foreign investments, and improve trade relations between Iran and neighboring countries. Additional benefits include enhanced customs facilities, reduced fuel consumption, energy optimization, and minimized environmental pollution. The study emphasizes the need for collaboration between policymakers, investors, and local institutions to ensure the successful implementation of this project. Based on the findings, recommendations include developing transportation infrastructure, attracting investment, creating special economic zones, improving workforce training, and strengthening local participation. These actions could accelerate the dry port’s development, positioning Zahedan as a regional logistics hub and contributing to the sustainable development of Sistan and Baluchestan. This research demonstrates that dry ports not only alleviate congestion at seaports and improve supply chain efficiency but also foster economic, social, and environmental progress in underdeveloped regions. The Zahedan dry port can enhance trade competitiveness, attract investments, and benefit diverse sectors, including manufacturing, agriculture, and services. Increased logistics efficiency can further stimulate regional economic integration and promote greater cooperation among neighboring countries. Additionally, this study offers a valuable framework for planners, local authorities, and transportation managers, providing insights into the advantages and challenges of dry ports. The findings support future policies to maximize the benefits of dry ports in national and regional economic planning. A well-functioning dry port in Zahedan will act as a catalyst for broader regional development, creating new economic opportunities and contributing to long-term sustainable growth.

In recent years the increase in the quantity of cargo in the main ports of Iran has finally led to the development and establishment of dry ports in the country. Among the important advantages of the dry ports are: reducing the sedimentation of goods, increasing the share of rail transport and reducing road traffic, reducing the costs of transporting container cargo, and speeding up customs operations. The establishment of a dry port requires facilities and equipment for the entry and clearance of goods, changing the type of transportation, warehouse spaces, and customs operations, the cost of which varies according to the capacity level. This article is written to locate dry ports for Shahid Rajaei and Imam ports. The location of the dry port was modeled based on the location of the hub and the cost function, and because it is mixed linear programming, it has been solved by the exact simplex algorithm method. The optimum location of the dry port for Rajaei and Imam ports was done once separately for each and once again in a combined form. According to the results, the smaller the volume and dispersion of cargo origins/ destinations, the less the need for a dry port and the more optimal the use of the capacity of the main ports. Accordingly, the optimal possible state for Rajaei port is to use 37% of its capacity and for Imam port, it is 74%. The multiplicity of dry ports with greater spatial distribution in the country is more beneficial for the users. If the problem is solved for all ports in the country, due to the 90% share of Rajaei port in attracting container cargo, the optimal places for the construction of the dry port will be Aprin and the special economic zone of Sirjan, and the load between the mentioned hubs and the main port will be proportional to the cost of transportation. That is, the optimal dry port of Bandar Rajaei can be generalized to the macro scale of the country due to its significant role in the share of container cargo.

Transferring of containers from road to rail network leads to some advantages such as: reducing fuel consumption، air pollution and road accidents. Construction of Dry Ports has a significant role in the development of multimodal transportation and use rail and road system advantages. In this paper a new Hub Location problem (HLP) in combination with Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) is presented from standpoint of rail system on a rail-road multimodal network. The indices that are considered in DEA، are provided from HLP outputs including rail routes ' volume، rail container kilometer and rail routes ' length. The proposed model was implemented on Iran container network and 40 different scenarios based on the number of dry ports (2 to 5) and percent discounts on rail routes (0% to 90%) were evaluated. The results showed constructing two dry ports with considering 0%، 10% and 30% discount on rail routes are as efficient scenarios. Comparison of proposed locations' facilities demonstrated constructing two dry ports in Tehran and Sirjan and applying 10% percent discounts on rail routes is the optimal scenario. In this scenario the rail routes ' volume، rail container kilometer and rail routes ' length were equal to 780 thousands TEU، 716 million TEU-KM and 3731 KM respectively.