A single transport document for all modes of transport, a single interface for the information exchange concerning the goods transport, the harmonisation of management procedures of customs operations and transport safety, irrespective of the transport mode, all these challenges could be attained one day. A first step has already been taken through the initiation of the e-Freight project which aims to test the sustainability of these objectives and the readiness of the informatics infrastructure of 14 EU member states in regards to the implementation of common standards for all modes of transport in the freight traffic area.
The e-Freight project is based on the three pillars promoted by the EU: stimulating competitiveness, efficient normative framework for stimulating the business environment and promoting sustainable development. Concretely, e-Freight will contribute to the compliance of the targets stipulated in the Freight Transport Logistics Action Plan (FTLAP), launched in October 2007 and the Intelligent Transport System Action Plan (ITSAP) launched in October 2008.
The integrated e-Freight programme, European e-Freight Integrated capabilities for co-modal transport Project – EFIP), was initiated on January 1, 2010 and brought together 30 partners of 14 EU member states and Norway for a platform-programme extended on a 4-year period and aimed at proving and validating the capacities and innovations brought by the informatisation of those specific elements related to freight transport bureaucracy. e-Freight will facilitate the work of all players involved in freight transport, from cargo transport service suppliers, who will benefit from easier access to the information related to the condition of transport vehicles or who wish to identify the best solutions for planning and developing transport services, to the institutions which regulate transports by providing them with the opportunity of fast information for an improved management of transport activities and the real-time information exchange with similar organisations.
e-freight will open the gates towards a “paperless” freight transport where the information flow will be strictly connected to the physical flow of freight. Discussions are already including an evolution of the e-Freight project to the future of the so-called “Intelligent Cargo”, which means that goods will be connected to a multiple range of informatics services aimed to transform them into elements whose locations and routes could be remotely controlled and whose identification, labelling and routes could be developed and established automatically, by simply pushing a button.
“Paperless” freight transport
The project includes recommendations for those involved in the transport process for improving co-modality, opening national markets and eliminating bureaucratic barriers (excessive documentation, the use of several communication languages, interruption of the traffic flow through excessive controls etc.). Among the measures promoted by e-Freight, there is the establishment of an electronic internal register for the e-Freight members that will comprise essential information on the development of freight transport, from identification data of operators and transport authorisations to climate conditions. e-Freight is also capable of stimulating a transport by providing carriers with the optimal solutions for establishing the most viable routes, facilitating the activities of supervisory and control authorities identifying the resources at the operators’ disposal. The Applications include the implementation of the Single Transport Document (STD), Single Access Point (SAP), which represents the integration of the freight traffic monitoring interfaces for railway transport, railway or road transport or E-Customs – a single electronic platform for all customs administrations in the EU countries.
Jenny Gyngell, the project manager, says the project will provide valuable information for the validation of the solutions promoted by the EU for the establishment of an integrated freight transport network in Europe and will answer the implementation requirements of informatics technologies in the freight transport area. The informatisation of freight transport is an inevitable process, e-Freight being the first step to find out how close we are to a successful implementation of electronic solutions for the optimisation of freight flows.
The first conclusions on the progress with the implementation of the project will be presented on November 4-5, 2010, during the European Conference for IT&C Systems in Transport Logistics (ECITL 2010) in Bremen.
Among the railway organisations involved in the e-Freight project is NewRail, from the University of Newcastle, the Swedish branch of DB Schenker, the Finnish Railway Research Centre and Athens Transport Research Institute.
by Alin Lupulescu
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