Innovative solutions are needed to promote combined freight transport (CT) in Germany. At the annual meeting of the Transportation Research Board in Washington DC, USA, Hongjun Wu reported on how rail freight transport can be improved. With the aim of making train rotations more efficient, we are working together with the MegaHub Lehrte as part of the research project “KV-Hub” : a DB AG high-speed transhipment facility where trains from different stations can exchange their loads without shunting. In particular, we are developing optimization processes to minimize the costs and transit times of transports and thus also reduce delivery times.

Raphael Hackober also presented the research work on barriers to innovation in European rail freight transport in a poster session in order to gain a better understanding of the current challenges in rail freight transport.

As here in Europe, the digitalization of transport chains is also a key topic for the USA. Prof. Elbert has been an international member of the TRB's AT045 Intermodal Freight Transport Committee under the leadership of Jolene Hayes since 2022. You can find out more about our activities with the AT045 here .