Digitally driven multimodality can supercharge sustainable growth of European passenger mobility

PhotobyKearneyAlum Digitallydrivenmultimodalitycansupercharge sustainablegrowthofEuropeanpassengermobility MultimodaldigitalmobilityservicescanrevupgrowthofEurope’sintercitypassengertransportmarketby50percent,unlockinganewpoolof500milliontravellersthatcangenerate€30billioninadditionalrevenuethrough2030—whilemakingtravelmoresustainable. Executivesummary1 Europeneedsmultimodalitytostrengthengrowth,competitiveness,resilience,and sustainability2 MDMS-enabledmultimodalitycanadd€30billionofsustainablegrowthtointercitypassengertransport5 Theseamlesscombinationofairandhigh-speedrailwouldproveirresistibletonewpassengers6 MDMScouldincreasepassengergrowthby 50percent16 Onlyconcertedactionwillcreatetherightconditionsfortruemultimodaldevelopment20 Digitalinfrastructures:enablingdatasharing20 Physicalinfrastructures:investinginmultimodaltransithubs21 Concludingthoughts22 Executivesummary PassengertransportisfundamentaltoEurope’swealthandsocialcohesion,butitisalsoamajorsourceofgreenhousegas(GHG)emissions. Multimodaltransport—seamlesslycombiningtravelbyair,rail,orcoach—holdsoutthepromiseofstrengtheningthetransportsector’salreadysignificantcontributiontoEuropeanprosperityandwell-being,whilemitigatingitsimpactontheenvironment.How?Bybreakingdownbarriers tocreateamoretransparent,competitive,andintegratedsystemthatpresentsconsumerswithafullarrayoffaster,cheaper,andcleaneroptionstogetfrompointAtopointB. Infrastructureisthebackboneofanytransportsystem.Tobuildaneffectivemultimodaltransportsystem,however,passengertransportfacilities,raillines,androadwaysarenotenough.Technologyinfrastructuresareequallyimportant.Inthisregard,digitalplatforms,intheformofmultimodaldigitalmobilityservices(MDMS),holdoutthepromiseofgreatertransparencyandeaseofusebyallowingconsumerstoconductmode-agnostictravelsearchesforinformationonschedules,availability,fares,andcarbonemissions—andpotentiallyevenofferingthemconvenientbooking,ticketing,andpaymentontheverysameplatform.Greenenergyinfrastructures,ofcourse,mustalsoplayamajorroleinanymultimodalsystemifwearetoensure asustainablefutureforourplanet. Puttingtravellersatthecentreofthetransportsystemandconnectingphysicalanddigitalinfrastructureswillcreateasignificantgrowthopportunityforallindustryplayers.Traveldemandishighlyresponsivetoselection,price,andconvenience,andMDMSwouldimproveallthreedimensionsforconsumers. WeestimatethatanMDMS-focusseddigitalapproachtomultimodalitycansuperchargethegrowthinpassengertrafficofEurope’sintercitypassengertransportsystemby50percentthrough2030,unlockinganewpoolof500milliontravellersthatcangenerate€30billioninadditionalrevenue—equivalentto13percentof2019marketsize. Moreover,wecalculatethatMDMS-drivenmultimodalitycanreduceCO2emissionsperpassengerkilometreby5percentthroughtheendofthisdecadebyencouragingtravellerstousepublictransportratherthanprivatevehicles,andbyshiftingdemandfromairtorailonshort-andmedium-haulroutes. Becausemultimodalityblurslong-standingboundaries,concertedactionamongallstakeholders—fromindustryplayers(regardlessofmode)toregulatorsandpolicymakers—willbe essentialtosecuretheconditionsneededtoinvestinthephysicalanddigitalinfrastructurestosupportatrulymultimodalecosysteminEurope.TheEuropeanCommission’sMultimodalDigitalMobilityServicesregulatoryinitiativeunderlinesthestrategicimportanceofcollaborationamongallindustrystakeholders,supportedbyaregulatoryframeworkthatfacilitatessysteminteroperabilityandaccess totransportcontentonfair,reasonable,andnon-discriminatoryterms. Byremovingbarriersbetweenmodestoprovideitscitizensandvisitorswiththeworld’sfirsttrulymultimodal,pan-regionalsystem,Europecanfuture-proofitsintercitytransportsystem,offering consumersaquantumleapinthetravellerexperienceandfuellingamoredecarbonisedeconomy. Becausemultimodalityblurslong-standingboundaries,concertedactionamongallstakeholderswillbeessential. DigitallydrivenmultimodalitycansuperchargesustainablegrowthofEuropeanpassengermobility1 Europeneedsmultimodalitytostrengthengrowth,competitiveness,resilience,andsustainability PassengertransportispivotalforEurope’seconomyandsociety.Withoutpassengermobility,modernlifeisimpossible,personalandbusinessrelationshipsbecomebrittle,andnewrelationshipsaremoredifficulttoforge.Butpassengermobilityasweknowittodayexactsaheavytollontheplanet.Thatiswhy,forthesakeoflong-termprosperityandsustainability,Europeneedstoactdecisivelytomeetthegrowingdemandforintercitytravelinamoremultimodal,multinational,andenvironmentallyfriendlyway. Multimodalityreferstotheuseofdifferentmodesoftransportonthesamejourney,indistinctlyusingair,rail,orcoachtogofrompointAtopointB.Theconcepthasbeenevolvingfornearlyaslongas transportitself,anditseekstocombinethestrengthsofthedifferentmodestomakethetransport systemasawholemorevaluablethanthesumofitsparts:sincenosingletransportmodeisperfect,multimodalityoptimisesthemixofair,rail,andcoachtoprovideamoreconvenient,affordable,andenvironmentallyfriendlyservice. Manypeoplealreadycombinesegmentsbyair, rail,andcoachforintercitytravel,butuntilnow,thetravellerex