Freight intermodality in Emilia-Romagna – REIF study

Project objectives

As part of the REIF project, developed within the Interreg Central Europe Programme, we carried out activities dedicated to the validation and evaluation of the Emilia-Romagna Region’s freight transport model. The objective was to analyse the benefits of overcoming infrastructure bottlenecks. Furthermore, the project aimed to verify the possibility of aggregating traffic volumes connected to intermodal nodes and their respective catchment areas.

Analysis and mapping of the logistics system

During the course of our activities, we drafted assessment reports on models developed by third parties, using innovative methodologies and Big Data. We have also mapped the main public and private logistics hubs in the area, integrating open databases and Floating Car Data. Consequently, heat maps were produced to identify concentrations of heavy goods vehicle stops and key nodes in the regional supply chain.

Logistics clusters and accessibility models

The clustering of industrial hubs was carried out using official statistical sources, such as ISTAT and ASIA, and data mining tools. In addition, we calculated accessibility to railway stations using Google Maps and Here Map APIs. Analyses have been developed to estimate the freight traffic generated and attracted by the hubs, with particular attention to heavy vehicle classes. The comparison between the regional SIMT model and FCD data has made it possible to produce validation indicators and corrections to improve its predictive capacity.

Final results and applications

The updated model was used to verify the feasibility of new single-wagon freight rail services. In addition, the demand transferable from road to rail and the potential for modal shift on regional and extra-regional routes were analysed. All data processing was returned via interactive dashboards created in Tableau, ensuring a transparent, replicable and sustainability-oriented tool for the Emilia-Romagna Region and stakeholders.