Intermodal passenger transportation, also called mixed mode switching, involves using two or more modes of transportation on one trip. Mixed mode switching is often used to combine the strengths (and eliminate the weaknesses) of several transportation options. An important goal of modern intermodal passenger transportation is to reduce dependence on the automobile as a major mode of land transportation and increase the use of public transportation. To assist travelers, several intermodal trip planners have been launched, such as Rome2rio and Google Transit.
Mixed-mode switching often focuses on a type of rapid transit (subway), such as regional or commuter rail, to which low-speed options (i.e. bus, tram, or bicycle) are added at the beginning or end of the trip.[1] Trains offer rapid transit from a suburb to an urban center, where passengers can choose one way to complete the trip. Most modes of transport have always been used intermodally; For example, people have used road or urban rail to go to an airport or interregional railway station.
Multimodal passenger transport
In the field of passenger transport, multimodal transport - in principle, through the combination of air transport and land transport - is being widely promoted from Brussels by the community authorities.
The European Union has publicly declared its support for innovation and research around multimodal travel: basically, this type of trip uses different modes of transport to achieve an uninterrupted door-to-door travel experience, while at the same time it is a key objective due to its potential to reduce the impact of transport on the environment, decongest cities and reduce their pollution. Multimodal digital mobility services, such as Mobility as a Service (MaaS) applications, route planners or reservation and ticket providers help travelers compare various travel options, connections and prices and, in some cases, facilitate the purchase of mobility products.
The European Commission commissioned a study in 2013 to determine whether multimodal travel was a technologically viable option. The project was commissioned to an industrial consortium selected by the EC itself (Directorate of Mobility and Transport), called Allways Traveling (AWT) to develop and successfully present a proof of concept with a view to the creation of a digital system that would allow reservations, ticketing and payments in a specific European corridor. This consortium was formed by different agents in the sector: Amadeus, BeNe Rail, IATA, Thales, UNIFE and Zeppelin University. The study, led by the technology company Amadeus, ended up demonstrating that a common platform for booking this type of trip was feasible.
Intermodal mobility
Introduction
Intermodal passenger transportation, also called mixed mode switching, involves using two or more modes of transportation on one trip. Mixed mode switching is often used to combine the strengths (and eliminate the weaknesses) of several transportation options. An important goal of modern intermodal passenger transportation is to reduce dependence on the automobile as a major mode of land transportation and increase the use of public transportation. To assist travelers, several intermodal trip planners have been launched, such as Rome2rio and Google Transit.
Mixed-mode switching often focuses on a type of rapid transit (subway), such as regional or commuter rail, to which low-speed options (i.e. bus, tram, or bicycle) are added at the beginning or end of the trip.[1] Trains offer rapid transit from a suburb to an urban center, where passengers can choose one way to complete the trip. Most modes of transport have always been used intermodally; For example, people have used road or urban rail to go to an airport or interregional railway station.
Multimodal passenger transport
In the field of passenger transport, multimodal transport - in principle, through the combination of air transport and land transport - is being widely promoted from Brussels by the community authorities.
The European Union has publicly declared its support for innovation and research around multimodal travel: basically, this type of trip uses different modes of transport to achieve an uninterrupted door-to-door travel experience, while at the same time it is a key objective due to its potential to reduce the impact of transport on the environment, decongest cities and reduce their pollution. Multimodal digital mobility services, such as Mobility as a Service (MaaS) applications, route planners or reservation and ticket providers help travelers compare various travel options, connections and prices and, in some cases, facilitate the purchase of mobility products.
The European Commission commissioned a study in 2013 to determine whether multimodal travel was a technologically viable option. The project was commissioned to an industrial consortium selected by the EC itself (Directorate of Mobility and Transport), called Allways Traveling (AWT) to develop and successfully present a proof of concept with a view to the creation of a digital system that would allow reservations, ticketing and payments in a specific European corridor. This consortium was formed by different agents in the sector: Amadeus, BeNe Rail, IATA, Thales, UNIFE and Zeppelin University. The study, led by the technology company Amadeus, ended up demonstrating that a common platform for booking this type of trip was feasible.
Considering multimodality as an efficient and sustainable solution to several problems that tend to worsen, the European Commission has launched a consultation on this aspect to citizens. The EC advocates not using the plane on intra-European trips of less than 500 km, hence multimodality is a key tool. Other projects, such as Modus, financed by Brussels and which will conclude in November 2022, seek to analyze the performance of the general transport system within an integrated and multimodal approach by studying how the supply and demand of travelers behave and the determinants that condition their choice of the mode of transport they will use. For this group, the drivers of the future multimodal travel system in Europe will be social, technological, economic, environmental, political and mobility; and in this sense, it will be crucial to focus on the regulations and the passenger, without losing sight of the fact that data will be the great facilitators of this process.
Multimodal trips – not to be confused with intermodal – involve using different modes of transport for the same itinerary and all under the same contract with the traveler. To what extent can travel supply chains integrate intermodal travel services (a search, a ticket, a click-through purchase)? Integration seems to be developing gradually. The European Union declared 2018 as the year of multimodality to support the single window technology that makes this vision of the future possible.
Initiatives such as Shift2Rail and Amadeus were in this direction: "To achieve a complete multimodal travel experience, customers must be able to easily plan and purchase door-to-door trips. Ticketless or multi-app solutions that guarantee interconnectivity, regardless of where the traveler moves. The development of a truly multimodal infrastructure, allowing simple and fluid exchanges, even between different modes of transport (urban and regional rail, air transport, road transport, bicycle and on foot) should make transfers easy, comfortable and reliable. Therefore, transport schedules should be adjusted to allow better modal integration and minimize traveler inconvenience.”
The pioneers were the cruise companies, which since the beginning of the century already offered air or rail connections to the ports from where their ships set sail. More recently, airlines and railroads are practicing a basic multimodal travel offering and provide the traveler with the option of booking a trip with one segment of the trip on rail and another on board an airplane. Some coach companies such as ALSA and passenger car, bus, minibus and minivan rental companies such as AVANZA have also joined this approach. In France, SNCF and TGV, the high-speed rail line, have similar agreements. The same thing happens in Germany, with Lufthansa and Deutsche Bahn, and also in Switzerland with these combined services that are the embryo of multimodality in passenger travel.
Considering multimodality as an efficient and sustainable solution to several problems that tend to worsen, the European Commission has launched a consultation on this aspect to citizens. The EC advocates not using the plane on intra-European trips of less than 500 km, hence multimodality is a key tool. Other projects, such as Modus, financed by Brussels and which will conclude in November 2022, seek to analyze the performance of the general transport system within an integrated and multimodal approach by studying how the supply and demand of travelers behave and the determinants that condition their choice of the mode of transport they will use. For this group, the drivers of the future multimodal travel system in Europe will be social, technological, economic, environmental, political and mobility; and in this sense, it will be crucial to focus on the regulations and the passenger, without losing sight of the fact that data will be the great facilitators of this process.
Multimodal trips – not to be confused with intermodal – involve using different modes of transport for the same itinerary and all under the same contract with the traveler. To what extent can travel supply chains integrate intermodal travel services (a search, a ticket, a click-through purchase)? Integration seems to be developing gradually. The European Union declared 2018 as the year of multimodality to support the single window technology that makes this vision of the future possible.
Initiatives such as Shift2Rail and Amadeus were in this direction: "To achieve a complete multimodal travel experience, customers must be able to easily plan and purchase door-to-door trips. Ticketless or multi-app solutions that guarantee interconnectivity, regardless of where the traveler moves. The development of a truly multimodal infrastructure, allowing simple and fluid exchanges, even between different modes of transport (urban and regional rail, air transport, road transport, bicycle and on foot) should make transfers easy, comfortable and reliable. Therefore, transport schedules should be adjusted to allow better modal integration and minimize traveler inconvenience.”
The pioneers were the cruise companies, which since the beginning of the century already offered air or rail connections to the ports from where their ships set sail. More recently, airlines and railroads are practicing a basic multimodal travel offering and provide the traveler with the option of booking a trip with one segment of the trip on rail and another on board an airplane. Some coach companies such as ALSA and passenger car, bus, minibus and minivan rental companies such as AVANZA have also joined this approach. In France, SNCF and TGV, the high-speed rail line, have similar agreements. The same thing happens in Germany, with Lufthansa and Deutsche Bahn, and also in Switzerland with these combined services that are the embryo of multimodality in passenger travel.