Approach

The work packages of ITIP are all closely related – the following diagram shows the interdependencies and illustrates that a close co-operation of the work packages is necessary as they take input from each other.

Work flow within ITIP

The ITIP project deals with the following four major building blocks evaluating the impact of interoperability for transport means and equipment:

• Innovative technology in transport means, i.e. the carrier for the Intermodal Transport Unit (ITU);
• Innovative technology in transhipment techniques, i.e. the equipment to transfer the load unit from one transport means to the other;
• Innovative technology in load units, i.e. the different concepts, sizes, construction types and fields of operation;
• Information technology and telematics systems, i.e. the different approaches for interfaces from the terminal to other partners within the chain ;and the terminal management itself.

Very important at this stage is that the innovations considered on the one hand cover the geographical range of the EU countries, the CEECs and Switzerland, and on the other hand the possible modes and their respective combinations as there are road, rail, inland waterways and short sea shipping.

The focus will in any case be oriented towards intermodal transhipment technologies.