The discussion has been very constructive. The EIA, as a mode-overlapping Association, has pledged for a political understanding and recognition of the freight sector. The Barroso Cabinet officials reacted very positively and have demonstrated a great interest in obtaining relevant feedback from intermodal transport industry operators and experts. Both agreed on the necessity to further promote intermodality as a key element of the TEN-T network, currently under revision.

For a detailed report on this meeting please read our related Press Release.

The objective of BESTFACT is to develop, disseminate and enhance the utilisation of best practices and innovations in freight logistics that contribute to meeting European transport policy objectives with regard to competitiveness and environmental impact. This first BESTFACT Public Workshop will present the results already acquired regarding main targets and key practical topics in freight transport and logistics.  Within different sessions a mix of private business and public authority speakers will present most up-to date information e.g. about electric vehicles, energy efficiency, consolidation and collaboration and many other themes within the three BESTFACT clusters (Urban freight, Green logistics and Co-modality, eFreight). A technical visit will offer insights in most recent freight transport practice at the port of Amsterdam.   A Preliminary Program is already available. More information on the BESTFACT website.

As a partner involved in BESTFACT, the EIA strongly recommends this event to all transport operators and stakeholders!

Press Release – English version (pdf)
Communiqué de Presse – Version Française (pdf)
Pressemitteilung – Deutsch Version (pdf)

The Annual Report 2011 is available for download in our publications section or directly by clicking the picture below.

A more comprehensive description can be found here.

The EIA is proud to present the second edition of the ‘Intermodal Yearbook 211/2012; Strategies, Statistics, Terminals and Players’, this year published in both printed and digital formats.The purpose of this Yearbook is to be a reference point for EU decision makers, a strategic and statistical source for operators, a promotional tool to reach ‘newcomers’ and a directory with names of players to facilitate potential collaborative partnerships all in one.

A high quality Atlas format has been chosen to show freight transport policy measures, port-hinterland strategies, modal shares, capacities, volumes, green logistics, technologies as well as plenty of maps and graphs streamlined by EIA into a coherent view.

You can read the text in the Intermodal Yearbooks section of our website!

The 4th EIA Newsletter of 2011 is now available on the website.

Please check our newletters section or click on the picture below.

1. General videos about Intermodality

Encouraging combined road and rail transport in the EU (On track with Marco Polo: DG MOVE)

Intelligent Transport Systems (DG TREN)

2. Videos from our members

JSC Lithuanian Railways: From CIS to EU in 30 Minutes (Winner EIA Intermodal Award 2009, click here)

SNCF: Le rail, une nouvelle route pour la France

Kühne + Nagel

Port of Antwerp

SBB Cargo-Videoclip Containertransport in Richtung Süden

3. Educational videos

L’Autoroute Ferroviaire Alpine (Via Combi, Marco Polo Programme)

L’Autoroute Ferroviaire Lorry-Rail (Via Combi, Marco Polo Programme)

L’Autoroute Ferroviaire RAlpin (Via Combi, Marco Polo Programme)

Le système de transbordement latéral Polyrail (Via Combi, Marco Polo Programme)

Le système de transbordement latéral Palfinger (Via Combi, Marco Polo Programme)

4. Videos about Projects with EIA involvement

Smart-CM

Freight Wise

The scope of Be-Logic is co-modality. This implies to search logistics alternatives with the potential involvement of other transport modes.

Be-logic aims at providing two efficient online tools:

•    Be-Logic includes an Intermodal Route Finder.

Thanks to a European database, it displays different possible routes as well as the participating terminals for potential customers.

•    Be-Logic also proposes a Logistics Benchmarking Tool:
A benchmark of logistics chains can give SMEs insight into the potential gains of reconsidering their logistics choices in terms of costs, performance, environment and quality. In the long term, benchmarking can contribute to the introduction of a common quality label.

For further information, please go to www.be-logic.info

Based on existing research and practice the project CLOSER will develop innovative tools for the analysis of interfaces and check these tools in a number of case studies. As a result specific recommendations to stakeholders will be provided in order to obtain:

1. A more systematic approach to the whole project cycle of interfaces from planning to design and operation.

2. Specific guidelines for decision makers in order to cope with the challenges of a particular project, and to get the most out of the opportunities that each project offer in the areas of transport, spatial, and economic development.

3. A friendlier regulatory environment; fostering cooperation and supporting better integrated interfaces.

4. Improved mechanisms for funding those concepts with a higher degree of integration (including EU funding schemes).

5. Greater involvement of stakeholders, particularlytransport operators.

For more information, please visit the dedicated website at: http://www.closer-project.eu/

E-freight is to be an open ICT system enabling complete trip support incl. booking, invoicing, tracking and transshipment. Allows users to be fully informed and enable transport choice for the fastest, easiest, cheapest or most ecological (minimum carbon footprint) way.

The purpose of the e-Freight Framework is to provide a reference model for Freight Transport & Logistics supporting paperless information exchange among stakeholders in all transport
modes.

The ambition is to develop and e-Freight Framework that will be adopted by all standardisation organisations around the world as a common Framework for interoperability.

Sub-goals e-freight:

• Define standard framework for freight information exchange covering all transport modes and all stakeholders in door-to-door logistic chains.
• A single EU transport document for all carriage of goods, irrespective of mode along with all the necessary legislative support.
• Establish a single window (single access point) and one stop shopping for administrative procedures in all modes.
• Establish simple, harmonised border crossings procedures for all modes of transport for all EU member states.
• Establish simple procedures and the necessary infrastructure for establishing secure and efficient transport corridors between Europe, USA, and Asia

For more information, please visit the dedicated website at http://www.efreightproject.eu/

SuperGreen aims to assist the Commission with defining the ‘Green Corridor’ concept and promotes the development of European freight logistics in an environmentally friendly manner.

The objectives of the SuperGreen project concern supporting the development of sustainable transport networks by fulfilling requirements covering environmental, technical, economic, social and spatial planning aspects.

The project involves 22 partners from 13 European countries. Already a selection of 9 corridors has been made in Helsinki in June 2010 and will be used for benchmarking and further analysis in the project

SuperGreen  is a Coordinated Action supported by the European Commission (DG-TREN) in the context of the 7th Framework Programme.

For  more information, please visit the dedicated website at : http://www.supergreenproject.eu/index.html