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Robust Branch-and-Cut-and-Price for the Capacitated Vehicle Routing Problem

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Integer Programming and Combinatorial Optimization (IPCO 2004)

Abstract

The best exact algorithms for the Capacitated Vehicle Routing Problem (CVRP) have been based on either branch-and-cut or Lagrangean relaxation/column generation. This paper presents an algorithm that combines both approaches: it works over the intersection of two polytopes, one associated with a traditional Lagrangean relaxation over q-routes, the other defined by bound, degree and capacity constraints. This is equivalent to a linear program with exponentially many variables and constraints that can lead to lower bounds that are superior to those given by previous methods. The resulting branch-and-cut-and-price algorithm can solve to optimality all instances from the literature with up to 135 vertices. This doubles the size of the instances that can be consistently solved.

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Fukasawa, R., Lysgaard, J., Poggi de Aragão, M., Reis, M., Uchoa, E., Werneck, R.F. (2004). Robust Branch-and-Cut-and-Price for the Capacitated Vehicle Routing Problem. In: Bienstock, D., Nemhauser, G. (eds) Integer Programming and Combinatorial Optimization. IPCO 2004. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 3064. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-25960-2_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-25960-2_1

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-22113-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-540-25960-2

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