New web platform accelerates greener freight transport

 The platform was launched by the EU-funded project European Shift Enable Portal for Freight, ESEP4Freight, coordinated by researchers at KTH. The new web platform  is designed to make intermodal rail transport more accessible, transparent and competitive throughout Europe.

"The aim is to make it easier for more people to use railways to transport their goods in Europe. We want to offer an easily accessible open platform for anyone interested in finding more environmentally friendly and efficient transport solutions for their goods, says KTH researcher Ingrid Nordmark .

She and three colleagues from the Department of Transport Planning have been working on developing the recently launched web platform for two years, together with participants from eight other European organisations. At the heart of the platform is an interactive map that shows intermodal terminals and helps users plan routes primarily by rail, with the possibility of integrating available barge connections. Road transport is only considered for the first and last mile.

"Facilitating the shift from road to rail transport is a very important issue for us," Nordmark says.

The platform, which is free to use, is aimed at logistics providers, goods owners, terminal operators, authorities and researchers, and offers practical tools for identifying greener and more efficient transport solutions for freight traffic. Now, Nordmark and her fellow reserchers are looking forward to more people starting to use the platform.

"We would like to work with more user cases and further develop the platform, for example by improving the level of detail at the national level," Nordmark says.

Jon Lindhe ( jlindhe@kth.se )

Intermodal transport

Intermodal transport involves the use of several different modes of transport. At terminals, goods are transferred from, for example, lorries to trains. Intermodal transport allows the various advantages of the different modes of transport to be exploited. Trains have a large load capacity and are extremely energy-efficient with very low emissions, making them well suited to long and medium-distance transport. Other modes of transport can also be included. Trucks are excellent for the first and last parts of the journey where the rail network does not reach. Since goods can be transferred between vehicles one or more times during intermodal transport, it is important that terminals function well and do not unnecessarily delay transport.