The EMPIRIC project supported multimodal transport solutions and logistics services along the Baltic-Adriatic transport corridor (BAC).
- 19 November 2014
EMPIRIC aims to support the start up and improvement of multimodal service connections of the Nord Adriatic multiport gateway with the Central European markets. The project evaluated the feasibility of waterborne and railway shift potential for multimodal services, so to be able in the near future to enhance greener transport and a more competitive logistic chain…The project had a strong hands-on and market-oriented approach...
The project brought together major policy makers, stakeholders and market players of this major central European north-south corridor to develop more efficient, reliable and sustainable ways of transporting goods. In particular, it encouraged the greater use of railways and inland waterways.
Recommendations for greener freight transport along BAC were produced following the analysis of freight traffic flows, logistic services and market incentives in the six partner countries (Italy, Slovenia, Austria, Hungary, Czech Republic and Poland). It carried out 10 regional analyses of good flows, a transnational feasibility study, five impact analyses of new multimodal services and infrastructures, an analysis on safety training procedures in the Czech Republic and Poland, and five analyses of national inland navigation. In addition, a GIS-tool was made available on the project website for multimodal platforms mapping and a “River Information System” for know-how transfer was set up that ranges from the Danube to the Po River.
Business cafés bring stakeholders together
Moreover, EMPIRIC created a networking community of projects partners, local authorities, transport operators and logistic providers, who meet regularly to discuss various topics of multimodal transport solutions at different levels. It held a series of “business cafés” in central Europe attracting more than 800 attendees and 300 public and private actors. Along with several transnational seminars, these events were an opportunity to tackle the challenges and expectations of the beneficiaries of the project.
It also drew up a common position paper on incentives based on more than 100 interviews, as well as five business plans for new railway services linking North Adriatic Ports with Central Europe and an assessment on the north Adriatic Ports Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) platforms.
Total investment and EU funding
Total investment for the project “EMPIRIC - Enhancing Multimodal Platforms, Inland waterways and Railways services Integration in Central Europe” is EUR 2 937 335 with the EU’s European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) contributing EUR 2 308 226 through the “CENTRAL EUROPE” Operational Programme for the 2007-2013 programming period.