ISTEN

ISTEN (Integreted and Sustainable Transport in Efficient Network) aims to promote the creation of local working groups and a transnational network to enhance cooperation on innovative solutions for intermodal transport. The project’s goal is to improve the efficiency of intermodal transport and foster integration between ports and inland infrastructure hubs, involving relevant stakeholders.

74% of EU trade is currently carried by ship, and 37% of total intra-EU goods exchanges pass through EU ports. 27% of the total freight volumes handled by EU ports are moved through Mediterranean ports, and traffic is expected to double by 2030. Transport infrastructures and services need to be upgraded to handle such freight volumes: poor cooperation, inadequacy of shared physical and digital infrastructures, and severe road congestion affecting port-hinterland connections represent significant obstacles to the efficiency of intermodal freight flows.

To address these challenges, ISTEN aims to qualify ADRION ports as strategic nodes and hubs for the region. In particular, the project seeks to support rail freight flows and last-mile connections to TEN-T corridors.

ISTEN involves ports in Italy, Greece, Montenegro, Albania, Croatia, and Slovenia as key gateways to the TEN-T corridors and the Adriatic-Ionian Motorway of the Sea. Project objectives include:

• Steering priorities for the involved territories by identifying integrated infrastructure planning at the transnational level and coherent investment strategies
• Providing guidelines and criteria to define the legal, technical, and operational conditions necessary to establish an efficient ADRION transnational network
• Developing a specific, innovative toolbox to be used by relevant stakeholders to analyze and define suitable conditions for building robust stakeholder networks
• Defining IT solutions and services for communication and knowledge management
• Increasing infrastructure planning capacity and identifying measures and actions to establish integrated hubs
• Improving the efficiency and environmental sustainability of freight logistics flows in the ADRION area

ISTEN’s final output is a transnational action plan for the development of an integrated hubs network, aimed at improving transport efficiency and environmental sustainability in the ADRION region.

The project contributes to these objectives through the following activities:

• Analysis of local bottlenecks in the maritime-rail network related to transnational corridors and ports
• Definition of measures to improve rail accessibility in the port-hinterland context and promote a modal shift to rail transport
• Identification of guidelines to organize transnational groups of stakeholders and promote knowledge exchange within the ADRION area

ITL contributes to the project as member of the transnational cooperation network and, in particular, participates in the definition of the hub in Emilia-Romagna Region. The foundation also coordinates activities related to the development of a Project Strategic Action Plan, paving the way for an ADRION integrated hubs network based on the ISTEN approach.

Lead Partner:

Mediterranean University of Reggio Calabria, IT

Partners:

Institute for Transport and Logistics Foundation (ITL), IT

Port of Koper, SI

Thessaloniki Port Authority, EL

Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH), EL

Regional Council of Durres, AL

Port of Bar, MNE

Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia, SRB

Šibenik Port Authority, HR

Associated Partners:

Bologna Freight Village, IT

Emilia-Romagna Region, IT

University of Belgrade, SRB

Durres Port Authority, AL

South East Europe Transport Observatory (SEETO), SRB