Overview
Intermodal transport (i.e. one transport unit using a combination of modes) is recognised as an important option when seeking to influence modal split towards more sustainable modes such as rail, short sea shipping and inland waterways. However, road transport remains indispensable and incentives and methods must be found which contribute to an optimum modal mix for every type of transport.
There are a number of commercial, technical and organisational obstacles to overcome in this process of combining a number of transport services to an efficient transport chain. On a general level, there is too little transport chain thinking. Integrated transport management requires a certain level of business integration which demands trust and in consequence often a perspective of longer term co-operation.
Information access is a key element in any competitive intermodal chain which requires some degree of interoperability between the systems of the organisations involved in the chain, but also with authorities who require reporting e.g. customs, coastguard and bodies which provide traffic information. Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) often find the threshold for using advanced Information Technology (IT)-based management tools still too high in terms of costs and necessary know-how. Standards are too wide or inadequate for small enterprises and do not support the interaction of all parties involved.
Rapidly changing business and administrative requirements demand a high level of flexibility from the transport industry both in terms of the services offered and the management systems. Software tools and IT-services to support the management are developing, but they do not yet adequately serve the entire business community.
FREIGHTWISE's overall objective was to support the modal shift of cargo flows from road towards intermodal transport using short sea shipping, inland waterways and rail; facilitated by improved management and exchange of information between large and small stakeholders across all business sectors, transport modes and administrations. The project aimed to show that using the project results and concepts (based on the use of open, interoperable systems), competitive intermodal transport operations may effectively be implemented and operated.
The legacy of the demonstrators to be carried out in the project will be a user community which can play a role in getting the framework and associated concepts widely accepted after project completion.
Based on extensive experience from development and operation, FREIGHTWISE established a harmonised framework (covering managerial and technical aspects) as a basis for development and integration of the relevant, low cost ICT components and associated services supporting competitive intermodal solutions with safe, secure and environmentally friendly transport.
FREIGHTWISE was user-driven and the development was based on real business cases across Europe and across all modes. The framework and the associated rules for business setups and tools for information systems in transport (each of them providing interoperability through clearly defined information interfaces and business rules and ways to fulfil legal requirements) were verified in seven real life demonstrators of variable complexity, ranging from complete door-to-door operations (including links to traffic management systems) to node-orientated operations (with the intention of removing bottlenecks).
A large number of stakeholders (covering a range of commodities, transport modes and including public authorities) are involved in the demonstrations attempting a move towards European consensus regarding the intermodal transport management framework and a basis for future policy.
Funding
Results
The most significant interim result of FREIGHTWISE so far is a breakthrough in the analysis of intermodal freight transport. This has shown that the complex nature of booking freight services can be reduced to just four roles and six messages. The roles and messages form a framework which has been named the 'Freightwise Framework (FWF)'.
The FREIGHTWISE Framework (FWF) identified the four roles in intermodal transport as:
- The Transport Service Provider,
- The Transport User,
- The Transportation Network Manager, and
- The Transport Regulator.
The roles can be adopted either by four different persons, companies or authorities or two or more roles by the same person in the same company or authority.
The Freightwise Framework utilises six messages:
- Transport Service Description (TSD),
- Transport Execution Plan (TEP),
- Transport Execution Status (TES),
- Transport Item Status (TIS),
- Transport Operation Status (TOS), and
- Network and Traffic Status (NTS).
All the information that is necessary to publish, advertise, plan, book, execute and invoice an intermodal transport service is within these messages.
Technical Implications
This simplification in booking has huge implications for the management of intermodal freight. The implementation of the FWF means that the evolution of intermodal transport is progressing to a stage that is revolutionary.
Policy implications
One of the main results of an audience survey (of 80 participants in a major project workshop) was that the audience was in favour of the European Commission (EC) taking a lead on making FWF a standard tool for use in managing intermodal transport