As European logistics faces increasing pressure from climate targets, digitalisation demands, and geopolitical disruptions, it has become clear that meaningful transformation requires a coordinated and insight-driven approach. ReMuNet’s Deliverable 3.2, developed by FIR at RWTH Aachen University, takes a hard look at the current state of freight and transport in Europe, exposing structural inefficiencies, deep-rooted pain points, and opportunities for systemic change.

This extensive research, grounded in interviews, expert input, and stakeholder workshops, identifies the critical roadblocks across the multimodal transport value chain and, crucially, outlines what’s needed to overcome them. Below, we highlight the most important findings and how they inform ReMuNet’s strategic direction.

Fragmented Ecosystem, Fractured Process

One of the most striking conclusions is the fragmented nature of the freight transport ecosystem. Stakeholders operate in silos, often with limited collaboration, unclear responsibilities, and disjointed communication. This lack of integration becomes particularly visible during disruptions, where response times are slow, rerouting is inefficient, and trust between parties breaks down.

The root causes are both technical and organisational. Many actors, especially SMEs, still rely on manual processes and struggle with digitalisation. Others use isolated systems that are incompatible with those of their partners. The result is poor data quality, inconsistent document handling, and a general lack of transparency across the supply chain

Regulatory and Infrastructure Complexities

Beyond organisational issues, European transport faces serious regulatory hurdles. A patchwork of national and modal rules, overlapping documentation requirements, and inconsistent enforcement at borders create delays and raise operational costs. This is further compounded by labour laws and environmental regulations that differ between countries, making compliance a constant balancing act, particularly for road hauliers.

Infrastructure, especially rail, is another pain point. While rail offers a more sustainable alternative to road freight, outdated infrastructure, poor maintenance, and unreliable scheduling often make it a less viable option. Capacity mismatches, where bookings don’t align with actual demand, lead to either wasted space or last-minute scrambles, further reducing efficiency.

The Sustainability Potential
Sustainability remains a key driver for innovation across the transport and logistics sector, reflecting both EU policy priorities and growing societal expectations. Multimodal and synchromodal relay transport, in particular, offer significant potential to reduce emissions and increase resource efficiency. However, fully realising this potential depends on meeting certain requirements — such as improving data visibility, interoperability, and coordination across the network. Strengthening these elements would allow the sector to make measurable progress towards more sustainable and efficient transport operations.

What ReMuNet must deliver: Solutions for the freight and transport sector

ReMuNet is designed to tackle the core challenges in Europe’s multimodal transport network, enhancing resilience, efficiency, and sustainability. To achieve this, the platform must meet several key requirements:

Sustainability:
The project aims to support the logistics sector’s sustainable transformation by reducing its climate impact and ensuring compliance with EU regulations. The platform promotes CO₂ reduction through environmentally friendly routes and operations, helping companies meet legal requirements and economic goals.

Addressing Distrust:
Building trust and fostering collaboration are crucial for platform adoption. Robust privacy and data governance measures must protect sensitive information and encourage participation, even among competitors.

Regulations:
Effective information exchange depends on clear and harmonised regulations. Compliance with transport documentation standards and international rules—especially for cross-border operations during disruptions—is essential for smooth multimodal transport.

Data Integration:
Accessible, interoperable data interfaces are required to connect diverse systems used by both SMEs and large companies. Improved data integration supports real-time tracking, disruption response, and capacity management.

Service Tools:
The platform should provide integrated tools for real-time tracking, multimodal routing, and centralised optimisation to enhance efficiency and enable quick rerouting when disruptions occur.

Disruption Management:
Strong disruption management features are key to maintaining supply chain continuity. Real-time tracking and capacity management help mitigate the growing impact of transport disruptions.

Towards a More Resilient and Sustainable Network

Deliverable 3.2 advances the analysis of the European multimodal transport ecosystem, focusing on the North Sea–Baltic and Rhine–Danube corridors. Using Gassmann’s business model approach, it identifies key actors and maps the flows of goods, information, and finances. While some assumptions were needed due to the system’s complexity, this work provides a shared framework and common language for understanding the ecosystem and how ReMuNet can support it.

The deliverable highlights systemic pain points across four dimensions, socio-economic, regulatory, technical, and infrastructural and defines corresponding requirements for ReMuNet in areas such as regulation, trust, data integration, service tools, disruption management, and sustainability. Together, these form a roadmap for how the platform can act as a transformative solution.

Looking ahead, ReMuNet will refine these requirements into implementable actions through stakeholder engagement, ensuring solutions are both feasible and impactful. By doing so, the project contributes to the broader vision of a Physical Internet–inspired transport system, promoting interoperability, collaboration, and sustainability across Europe’s multimodal logistics network.

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