Objective
Like VADE MECUM, with which it will cooperate, WELCOM is a design study for demonstration of telematics applications on a transport corridor linking Ireland, the Netherlands and Germany towards Poland. It will examine current freight transport user requirements there, as well as telematics needs for freight transport and resource management. With the area facing further demands on an already saturated road network, the study will pay priority attention to technologies for alternative modes or combined transport operations. The study results will lead to a first-outline demonstration plan, as well as definition of sites and participants for pilot testing in the future.
Freight in Europe is mainly transported by road; as the road network capacity is overloaded and an enormous increase in freight transport demand is forecasted, there is an apparent need to strengthen the use of alternative modes (short sea shipping, inland waterways and rail) to a maximum degree. This is valid in particular for the West-East-Corridor from Ireland, via the Netherlands and Germany up to Poland where a considerable increase in road transport is expected. Information exchange between all actors involved as well as powerful freight management resource tools at each dispatching site could support the use of multimodal transport chains and therefore need a careful and thorough investigation to detect further possibilities for improvement. The development of appropriate tools for the co-ordinated tactical planning and operation of resources will then increase considerably the transport efficiency in terms of transport quality, safety and costs and an optimised use of different modes in an existing physical infrastructure.
The main objective of the WELCOM Design Study is to create the basis for future phases demonstration and evaluation on the West-East Corridor. This Design Study will contain a detailed study on the user requirements related to the geographical West-East corridor in cooperation with the VADE MECUM project and on the technical needs in the fields of transport telematics and freight resource management. It comprises a status-quo analysis of the current transport situation within the corridor. This includes also freight flows with origin and/or destination outside the corridor which are partly situated on segments of the corridor. To find out realistic development needs from the users point of view, a technical and economical feasibility study is integrated. The conclusions will lead to the first sketch of the demonstrator and to the definition of the transport chain pilot test sites and their respective actors.
Fields of science
Call for proposal
Data not availableFunding Scheme
CSC - Cost-sharing contractsCoordinator
76131 Karlsruhe
Germany