Exploring the efficiency of intermodal transport network: an analysis of freight terminals performances

The freight transport market is characterised by intensive inter and intra-modal competition that leads to a price war and a different quality of service: so any unproductive activity becomes a source of non-profitability and non-quality in terms of transit time, reliability and flexibility. Regarding intermodal transportation, unproductive activities are concentrated mainly at technical points, identified in particular at the border crossings inside the European Union presenting incompatible facilities and technologies (infrastructure and superstructure layouts, gauges, rolling stock design, signalling systems) and having heterogeneous regulations (administrative and documentary procedures). These historical differences have important consequences on terminal management, creating bottlenecks in terminal operations and decreasing the efficiency of the whole logistics chain. The paper deals with the analysis of freight intermodal terminals, carried out within the INTERFACE Project, identifying the main parameters influencing their operational and technical performances and testing, in real environment, innovative solutions to improve intermodal border crossing terminals operations. In particular, it presents specific key factors influencing terminals performances and in three selected terminals (Breclav, Port Bou and Novara) focuses on the applications of dedicated measures dealing respectively with intermodal management procedures, logistics concepts and interactions among terminal and network. Finally, the paper shows the main results and provides an overview of the current development of European intermodal freight transport, highlighting strengths and weaknesses for its potential development and suggesting which actions could improve the efficiency and the effectiveness of intermodal operations at terminal and network level.