PROMIT: Promoting Innovative Intermodal Freight Transport: D5.3: Strategy and Recommendations

PROMIT is the European Coordination Action (CA) for intermodal freight transport initiating, facilitating and supporting the coordination and cooperation of national and European initiatives, projects, promotion centres, technology providers, research institutes and user groups related to this complex transport mode. WP5, intermodal strategies and recommendations aims to develop a vision to stimulate the attractiveness, efficiency and quality of intermodal transport. In this context, a strategy is a long-term plan of action designed to achieve a particular goal. Intermodality is of fundamental importance for developing competitive alternatives to road transport. As roads are being increasingly overloaded, intermodal transport can offer reliable, cost-effective delivery in an environmentally conscious manner. Developing freight transport logistics is primarily a business-related activity and a task for industry. Nevertheless, the authorities have a clear role to play in creating the appropriate framework conditions and keeping logistics on the political agenda. Main objectives of this WP are to describe and provide a comprehensive inventory of intermodal strategies on European level and to assess market developments in terms of their strategic relevance from an industrial and policy point of view. 64 PROMIT Best Practice cases are described shortly. Rail operations cover some new intermodal connections and several types of development of existing services, based on block and shuttle trains. Information platforms base on quite different approaches, e.g. regional, mode such as rail or port based solutions. Some platforms serve both stakeholders in intermodal business as well as authorities. Some have more informative nature. Terminal cases cover actions directed to operations efficiency, in many cases based on software development and handling technology development. Tracking cases include satellite positioning of equipment and track and trace services in intermodal rail transport. 14 business cases were analysed in detail from strategy point of view: Cargo Domino, Stora Enso base port system / Netts, Rail4Chem, Distrivaart, D2D, GITS, HUPAC, CORY, VOLVO, Reorient, Interface. Viking train, Eurewa and Terminal management Interporto Bologna. Intermodal transport service consists of a network of different companies, and not all of them can be the actual leader of the network. Strategic leadership of intermodal service were analysed with three different types of cases Volvo, Hupac and Kuehne+Nagel. These companies are leaders of the service but they have a quite different position in the intermodal service network. Volvo is an industrial end customer, HUPAC a railway operator and Kuehne + Nagel a 3 PL logistics service provider. Consolidated recommendations cover business models, ICT, services and policy.