HOLGISTICS will pilot and demonstrate innovative open standard logistics solutions and technologies which accelerate freight transport decarbonisation while increasing operational efficiency and flexibility, ensuring logistics networks are cost effective and competitive, taking account of externalities. The project will scale up collaborative solutions for multimodal logistics nodes and networks, enhancing digital and physical interoperability, supported by effective business and governance models, and facilitating increased use of zero emission vehicles and vessels. This will lead to major reductions in GHG emissions in the logistics networks, supporting the 2030 Climate Target Plan to reduce emissions by 55%. Logistics supply chain performance will be further improved via a Physical Internet approach, synchromodality and models which drive pooling, resource sharing and optimisation of capacity utilisation across modes. A wide range of processes, procedures and services in multiple logistics nodes and operations across Europe will be implemented, enhancing innovations and technologies developed in previous Horizon projects, and magnifying the benefits of ongoing CEF investments. These include: AI, IoT, synchromodal logistics algorithms, interoperability using shared standardised boxes/containers, automation and autonomous systems, new business models and solutions for increased use of zero emission transport, semantic models for collaborative data sharing, Digital Twins, advanced simulation and visualisation solutions, resource sharing and pooled logistics models and innovative inventory strategies that enable increased use of greener transport. Open access definition and seamless interaction will be prioritised, enabling all players including SMEs to participate, exploiting the DTLF data sharing framework to ensure scalability and compliance with the ongoing development of the common European mobility data space and achieving TRL 7 by the end of the project.

MultiRELOAD focusses on the specific role and challenges of inland ports as multimodal freight nodes in reaching Europe’s greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction target of at least 55 % by 2030, thereby shifting a substantial part of the 75% of inland freight carried today by road in the EU to inland waterways and rail, and by increasing operational efficiency, safety and reliability of existing infrastructures through digitalization. Inland Ports are key for multimodal transport chains, both continental and maritime transport. Without efficient nodes in the hinterland multimodal transport is not possible. However, the constraints and barriers are much higher in inland ports (space, urbanisation, demand, investments) than in seaports. MultiRELOAD enhances the collaboration between different freight nodes in Europe to jointly test innovations and create favorable market conditions for multimodal freight transport solutions. MultiRELOAD will demonstrate solutions in three Innovation Areas with specific aims by 2025 – mirroring measures of the EU’s Smart Mobility Strategy: A) Smart multimodal logistics: facilitate a shift from road to rail & IWT of 5%; B) Digital & Automated Multimodal Nodes and Corridors: increase operational efficiency by 20 % raise of handling capacity; C) Innovative business models: leading to an average cost reduction of freight transport by 10%. MultiRELOAD involves highly ambitious logistics hubs, including the multimodal node duisport (DE), Duisburg's highly ambitious port and the world’s largest and most advanced trimodal inland hub terminal, and the trimodal nodes Ports of Vienna (AT) and Basel (CH). The project is backed up by additional funding & financing for better integration of the freight transport nodes into overall logistic chains of about 450 Mio. EUR. MultiRELOAD involves a total of 22 partners comprising of highly innovative technology, logistics and service providers, leading European research institutions and well-connected networks.