Increasing competitiveness and resilience of multimodal freight transport and logistics for competitive supply chains

Expected Outcome

Project results are expected to contribute to all the following expected outcomes:

• Advanced tools and solutions are developed and demonstrated to enhance the competitiveness of European multimodal freight transport networks, ensuring sustainability, resilience, security and increased freight transport capacity;
• Solutions provide real-time visibility, tracking and predictive analytics for multimodal services, performance, and network status (e.g., disruptions, maintenance) to support better planning and increase shippers' adoption of multimodal transport;
• Strengthened integration of multimodal (e.g. rail, inland waterway transport and short sea shipping) data, along with improved synchromodal solutions, enabling more agile, flexible, responsive and resilient multimodal transport logistic systems.

Scope

Freight transport demand in Europe is expected to double in the coming decades, making it essential to enhance the capacity, efficiency, and resilience of freight transport to maintain the European competitiveness. Despite policy goals to strengthen multimodal transport, double rail freight’s share by 2050, and increase transport by inland waterways and short sea shipping by 50% by 2050, unimodal road transport remains more competitive, and the growth of multimodal freight has been limited.

The lack of integration of rail, inland waterways and multimodal data into logistics and supply chain solutions is one of the main barriers, hindering the efficient and competitive adoption of multimodality. Furthermore, improving system resilience requires better tools and solutions for multimodal operators to manage disruptions and ensure supply chain continuity.

Building on the results of previously funded research projects and initiatives (including e.g. the Europe’s Rail Joint Undertaking), proposals should address all of the following aspects:

• Building on data governance models set in the European Data Act, Common European Data Spaces and the electronic Freight Transport Information Regulation, develop interoperable tools and solutions integrated in existing platforms and solutions (also leveraging the full potential of e.g. Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things and other emerging technologies) used by shippers, carriers, freight forwarders, warehouse operators, distribution centres, retailers and e-commerce platforms to connect with multimodal information (e.g. services, visibility, ETA, etc.). Developing any type of digital platform or similar is outside the scope of this topic. The proposed tools and solutions should also help operators to react rapidly to disruptions, considering strategies and alternatives for cases of failure, accidents, sabotage, force majeure, etc.
• Map and identify datasets available or to be developed to enhance the integration of multimodal solutions in other supply chain processes (e.g. rail timetable information). Assess how new technologies (e.g. generative Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things) could be leveraged and applied, including, but not limited to, the procurement and management of smart containers (e.g. for real-time monitoring of cargo conditions, ETA). Explore synchromodality strategies for logistics hubs and multimodal transport networks.
• Based on the business and technical requirements (e.g. transport management systems, data structures, data security) of both freight forwarders and shippers, develop interoperable solutions and tools to support freight forwarders and multimodal operators to address shippers’ demands in terms of information provision and sharing, including as regards logistic hubs and first / last mile connections.
• Define use cases for multimodal transport for intra-European flows between 500 and 1,000 km (from first to last mile delivery), and collaborative business model(s) to shift freight transport demand to multimodal solutions.
• Validate, measure the performance and demonstrate the proposed solutions and concepts in 2 large pilots along segments of the main European freight transport corridors, ensuring geographical balance and covering various types of industrial sectors (e.g. fast-moving consumer goods industry). The pilots should be carried out with the involvement and cooperation of relevant transport operators, logistic companies and infrastructure managers.
• Assess and quantify the value generation (also in terms of sustainability and energy consumption reduction) of the proposed solutions for the shippers, multimodal operators and terminals.
• Analyse and propose recommendations for contingency plans to address disruptions in multimodal supply chains.
• Provide recommendations on possible revisions to the existing regulatory framework and propose initiatives to remove existing barriers to and facilitate, encourage and accelerate the adoption of multimodal transport solutions.

Proposals must plan for an active collaboration amongst the projects selected under this topic - for dissemination, evaluation and coordination. Proposals should ensure that appropriate provisions for activities and resources aimed at enforcing this collaboration are included in the work-plan. Information exchange with Europe’s Rail Joint Undertaking Flagship Area 5 is advised to avoid duplicated research.

If the proposed solutions use position, navigation, and/or timing (PNT) services or data, the beneficiaries must make use of Galileo (other GNSS may additionally be used). Where appropriate, Galileo services such as OSNMA (Open Service Navigation Message Authentication) and HAS (High Accuracy Service) should also be utilised.

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Activities are expected to achieve TRL 7-8 by the end of the project – see General Annex B.