Overview
Modal interchange nodes and logistic platforms register daily bottlenecks in their entrances which make the development of the logistic activity difficult.
INTER-NODAL studied solutions for this and other related problems. They seemed to be temporary problems and particular to logistic centres, but they have an effect on the competitiveness of Spanish logistics as a whole.
The main aim of this project was the improvement of the accessibility conditions in centres of modal interchange (CDIM) and public and private logistic platforms (PL). The objectives were:
- To overcome bottlenecks and the lack of integration between the participant agents; and
- To make door-to-door intermodal transport more fluid, more flexible, quicker and sustainable.
The project included (i) the analysis of actual problems of accessibility and operations which affected efficiency, rapidity, productivity and problems of capacity of the CDIM and PL, and (ii) the production of a common methodological criteria to optimise accessibility as the establishment of optimal location, dimension, technological means and infrastructure, standards of communication and integration of processes and information systems between component agents in the chain.
The INTER-NODAL project was organised in five technical subprojects and a subproject of dissemination of results, which was developed in the section 'Result Spreading Plan'. All the subprojects are coordinated to a general level by a main researcher of ITENE:
- SP1: Accessibility to modal interchanges centres and Logistics Platforms
- SP2: Location of modal interchange centres and PL
- SP3: Methodologies to determine the necessities of physical and technological infrastructures in centres of modal interchange and logistic platforms
- SP4: Technologies of the information for the integration of the intermodal centres in the logistic chains and improvement of the accessibility
- SP5: Improvement of the efficiency of operations in the centres of modal interchange and platforms through process modelling and simulation
- SP6. Dissemination of the project.