On the road to sustainable and environmentally friendly logistics, there is no way around intermodal freight transport: at the 22nd Hessian Mobility Congress, our research associate Paul Bossong presented how digital platforms can drive the transformation of combined road/rail freight transport.

If the main run – the longest part of the transport route – is shifted to rail and only the first and last few kilometers are carried out by road, the strengths of both modes of transport can be combined. However, this increases the complexity of the transport chain. An interview study conducted by our department shows that many different digital platforms are currently being created with the aim of reducing this complexity and thus making combined transport more attractive.

The interviews show, among other things, that the emerging platforms differ greatly in their business models: While some platforms want to simplify the booking of goods transports, others focus on automated and standardized data exchange along the supply chain in combined transport. The research results also indicate that the business models of the platforms will merge in the future and that further platforms will emerge.

A big thank you goes to the Hessian Ministry of Economics, the LEA LandesEnergieAgentur Hessen with the Electromobility Office, and Hessen Trade and Invest for the great organization and the successful event!

Find out more about the research project here .