The ongoing railway reforms in Ukraine are crucial for the country’s integration into the European Union’s transportation network. A major challenge lies in the difference in track gauge widths: Ukraine predominantly uses a 1520 mm gauge, while European countries utilize a 1435 mm gauge. This 85 mm difference presents significant logistical and operational barriers, hindering smooth cross-border trade and travel. The study examines the current state of Ukraine’s railway system, highlighting the urgent need for infrastructure modernization to meet European standards. Methods include a comparative analysis of Ukraine’s railway network with those of EU member states, focusing on integration challenges and potential solutions. Results indicate that aligning Ukraine’s railway with European standards could substantially enhance connectivity, reduce transit times, and foster economic growth. However, “Ukrzaliznytsia’s” slow adaptation to these necessary changes is a major roadblock. The study concludes that the construction of a standard-gauge railway linking Ukraine to the EU is vital not only for improving trade routes but also for supporting Ukraine’s broader political and economic aspirations towards EU membership. Circular economy principles, such as resource optimisation, extending the life cycle of existing infrastructure and reusing materials from dismantled railway facilities, can offer a cost-effective and sustainable approach. This infrastructural change will serve as a catalyst for deeper integration, strengthening Ukraine’s position within the European transportation network.

Increasing the environmental friendliness of production systems is largely dependent on the effective organization of waste logistics within a single enterprise or a system of interconnected market participants. The purpose of this article is to develop and test a methodology for evaluating a data-based waste logistics model, followed by solutions to reduce the level of waste in production. The methodology is based on the principle of balance between the generation and beneficial use of waste. The information base is data from mandatory state reporting, which determines the applicability of the methodology at the level of enterprises and management departments. The methodology is presented step by step, indicating data processing algorithms, their convolution into waste turnover efficiency coefficients, classification of coefficient values and subsequent interpretation, typology of waste logistics models with access to targeted solutions to improve the environmental sustainability of production. The practical implementation results of the proposed approach are presented using the production example of chemical products. Plastics production in primary forms has been determined, characterized by the interorganizational use of waste and the return of waste to the production cycle. Production of finished plastic products, characterized by a priority for the sale of waste to other enterprises. The proposed methodology can be used by enterprises to diagnose existing models for organizing waste circulation and design their own economically feasible model of waste processing and disposal.

Global trade is based on coordinated factors, that means labor and products are moved from their point of origin to the point of use. Strategies have a significant impact on global trade because they enable the effective development of goods across international borders. The decision making is an important task for the development of Logistics Supply Chain (LSC) infrastructure and process. Decisions on supplier selection, production schedule, transportation routes, inventory levels, pricing strategies, and other issues need to be made. These decisions may have a big influence on customer service, profitability, operational efficiency, and overall competitiveness. The Artificial Intelligence (AI) approach of Fuzzy Preference Ranking Organization Method for Enrichment Evaluation (Fuzzy-Promethee-2) is used to assess the priority selection of the factors associated with the LSC and evaluate the importance in global trade. The role of AI is very useful compare to statistical analysis in terms of decision making. The computational analysis placed promotion of exports as the most important priority out of five selected attributes in LSC, with infrastructure development. The result suggests that LSC depends heavily on export promotion as the most significant attribute. Infrastructural development also appeared another factor influencing LSC. The foreign investment was ranked the lowest. The evaluated results are useful for the policy makers, supply chain managers and the logistics professionals associated with the supply chain management.

The idea of a smart city has evolved in recent years from limiting the city’s physical growth to a comprehensive idea that includes physical, social, information, and knowledge infrastructure. As of right now, many studies indicate the potential advantages of smart cities in the fields of education, transportation, and entertainment to achieve more sustainability, efficiency, optimization, collaboration, and creativity. So, it is necessary to survey some technical knowledge and technology to establish the smart city and digitize its services. Traffic and transportation management, together with other subsystems, is one of the key components of creating a smart city. We specify this research by exploring digital twin (DT) technologies and 3D model information in the context of traffic management as well as the need to acquire them in the modern world. Despite the abundance of research in this field, the majority of them concentrate on the technical aspects of its design in diverse sectors. More details are required on the application of DTs in the creation of intelligent transportation systems. Results from the literature indicate that implementing the Internet of Things (IoT) to the scope of traffic addresses the traffic management issues in densely populated cities and somewhat affects the air pollution reduction caused by transportation systems. Leading countries are moving towards integrated systems and platforms using Building Information Modelling (BIM), IoT, and Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) to make cities smarter. There has been limited research on the application of digital twin technology in traffic control. One reason for this could be the complexity of the traffic system, which involves multiple variables and interactions between different components. Developing an accurate digital twin model for traffic control would require a significant amount of data collection and analysis, as well as advanced modeling techniques to account for the dynamic nature of traffic flow. We explore the requirements for the implementation of the digital twin in the traffic control industry and a proper architecture based on 6 main layers is investigated for the deployment of this system. In addition, an emphasis on the particular function of DT in simulating high traffic flow, keeping track of accidents, and choosing the optimal path for vehicles has been reviewed. Furthermore, incorporating user-generated content and volunteered geographic information (VGI), considering the idea of the human as a sensor, together with IoT can be a future direction to provide a more accurate and up-to-date representation of the physical environment, especially for traffic control, according to the literature review. The results show there are some limitations in digital twins for traffic control. The current digital twins are only a 3D representation of the real world. The difficulty of synchronizing real and virtual world information is another challenge. Eventually, in order to employ this technology as effectively as feasible in urban management, the researchers must address these drawbacks.

This study aimed to examine and assess the impact of the logistics industry’s environment, entry-level graduates’ characteristics and the logistics and supply chain management (LSCM) program design on the transformation of knowledge and skills at Sohar port in the Sultanate of Oman. The study employed a pragmatic research philosophy involving a structured questionnaire. The sample size included 49 mid-managers from the logistics industry who were working at Sohar Port. The study found that entry-level graduates’ characteristics and LSCM program design positively and significantly influenced the transformation of knowledge and skills. However, the organisational environment had a negative and insignificant impact on the transformation. This study revealed several dimensions that may require further research. It is pertinent to broaden the research scope to other towns, ports, and other countries in the Gulf Council Countries (GCC) to broaden the scope and generalisability of the results. According to the study findings, several recommendations are proposed for the logistics and supply chain sector in Oman to enhance the transformation of knowledge and skills by entry-level graduates, as well as for higher education institutions (HEIs). To meet the sector requirements, HEIs may improve the current university-industry collaborations by increasing the inputs of the industry in designing and developing the LSCM program. The organisational environment must reconsider the knowledge and skills transformation by entry-level graduates in their strategic plan of resources management, which must be emphasised by the remuneration system and career paths incentive. While other studies have explored knowledge and skill transformation in the context of employee training, this study aims to fill a specific research gap by focusing on the transformation of knowledge and skills by entry-level graduates, an area which has not been extensively studied before. Furthermore, this study is unique as it examines the impact of the industry’s environment, entry-level graduates’ characteristics and the LSCM program on the transformation of knowledge and skills within the unique context of Oman. This novel approach provides an opportunity to understand the specific challenges and opportunities faced by entry-level graduates in Oman and suggests strategies for addressing them.