Development of an integrated EU multimodal transport management system

Abstract

The European Commission aims to disconnect mobility from its adverse effects by promoting co-modality, a sustainable form of transport that combines several transport modes within the same transport chain. The key is that this form of mobility is based upon the strengths of each transport mode. This thesis attempts to develop an integrated EU multimodal transport management system on the basis of a database combining road, rail, inland navigation and short sea shipping networks to provide multimodal usable routes for freight transport. It aims to assess the transport options of a company at a strategic level regarding different criteria separately such as time, cost, distance or carbon dioxide emissions by providing the best transport solutions. It also targets following the EU guidelines by promoting co-modality as well as taking into account the CO2 emissions since that need to be cut by 60% in 2050 (European Commission, White Paper 2011, 2011). Key words Freight transport management system, multimodal transport, sustainability, European Commission