The freight transport sector in central Europe is still characterised by challenges that hamper its competitiveness. An imbalance in hard and soft infrastructural developments, both in terms of last mile bottlenecks and missing links along the main networks are a big concern. A fragmentation of the institutional framework between ports/intermodal logistic nodes and public institutions, insufficient coordination between freight operators and the logistic nodes all negatively affect transport cost, time and reliability of multimodal transport. It also leaves road as the most frequently used mode of transport to connect ports with inland destinations, which leads to increased greenhouse gas emissions. 

The COMODALCE project aims to increase cooperation and coordination among multimodal freight transport stakeholders in central Europe through the use of innovative ICT systems. It will gather together some of the most relevant ports and rail terminals and operators generating multimodal transport flows.

The partners will analyse the current situation and their regional as well as EU best practices. This analysis will result in strategies for fostering coordinated multimodal transport through ICT. The strategies will be tested in pilot actions that will significantly improve the efficiency and competitiveness of the transnational multimodal transport sector by optimising its transport costs, time and reliability. The strategy and the pilots will contribute to additional modal shifts from road to rail and to an enhancement of the overall logistic chain, resulting in practical, tangible and end-user-oriented results.