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Seamless Multimodal Transport

Seamless Multimodal Transport

May 12, 2026 | Uncategorized

Challenge

Multimodal transport planning remains fragmented, with limited integration across rail, maritime, and road systems. The lack of advanced routing, dynamic booking, and real-time capacity management restricts efficient coordination and responsiveness to demand, hindering the development of fully integrated, flexible transport networks capable of optimising resources and service offerings.

 The solution

To address these challenges, Europe’s Rail (EU-Rail) has advanced the development of  fully integrated multimodal transport planning, management and operation systems. These solutions include innovative routing engines, using the new EDIGES standard, enabling the combination of multimodal services (such as rail connected with short- and deep-sea-shipping, barges and road transportation) in transport planners, including pricing information where available, and supported by lean and dynamic booking functions. Furthermore, ef routing and capacity management algorithms have been further developed to enable demand-responsive transport network planning resulting in ad-hoc dynamic capacity allocation based on resource availability.

Readiness for Industrialisation and Deployment

This solution is the result of the demonstrators and modules developed within the FP1-Motional project, as well as  the interfaces and planning definitions from the Seamless Freight activities of the FP5-TRANS4M-R project. It also builds on specifications and prototypes developed across multiple work packages that are intended to guide further harmonisation, industrialisation and large-scale deployment.

Maturity level

From TRL 6 (Technology demonstrated in relevant environment) to 8 (System complete and qualified )

Expected benefits

  • ≥15% CAPEX reduction and ≥15% OPEX reduction for positioning scope vs. current figures, leveraging COTS and unified onboard integration.
  • System‑level robustness and maintainability by eliminating intermediate gateways, ensuring consistent, time‑stamped data for multiple consumers.

Who benefits

Railway operators

Suppliers

Final users

Conclusion

This solutions is benefitting a wide range of stakeholders, facilitating operations, reducing costs and improving quality:

  • Enabling state-of-the art intermodal routing tools to use data in the new EDIGES standard allows  operators to more easily adopt standardised solutions. This reduces the need for costly developments that  hinder interoperability and prevent economics of scale.
  • The solution enables terminal operators not only to improve their processes, but alsoto increase their service offering and usage of their infrastructure and assets .
  • It reduces manual efforts in booking procedures, and lowers the  skill set in the Rail Freight Operators’ teams thanks to  lean sser interfaces, Moreover, it can increase turnover and margins by improving due to the possibility to increase the load of the train load factors through transparent visibility of available capacity and  remaining slot.
  • Freight and Logistics Companies will benefit from faster and more predictable transport services, leading to improved supply chain efficiency.
  • Forwarders will gain a transparent and easy access to integrated end-to-end intermodal transport options via a single web application, including detailed information onoperation days, transport times, loading units, CO² consumption andsavings, Trans-shipment terminals and,first/last-mile trucking information.

Learn more about the projects

This solution has been developed within theEurope’s Rail (EU-Rail) Flagship 1 and 4:

FP1-MOTIONAL

The project FP1-MOTIONAL aims to improve planning and operational management of rail services and offers to meet the European goal of making rail the preferred mode of transport.
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FP5-TRANS4M-R

This solution has been developed within the EU-Rail Flagship Project FP5-TRANS4M-R. The FP5-TRANS4M-R’s overall goal is to establish rail freight as the backbone of a low-emission, resilient European logistics chain which fulfills end-user requirements to full satisfaction.
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Europe's Rail