SWITCH – Shifting Ways of Intermodal Transport on Cross-border Haulage

Active

2024 – 2027

Topics
Intermodal TransportCross-border LogisticsModal ShiftArtificial IntelligenceOptimisationSustainabilityAlpine Region
Team Matteo Salani , Gianpiero Mattei (ISTEPS - SUPSI)
Partners LIUC – Università Cattaneo (coordinator italian side), SUPSI – Scuola universitaria professionale della Svizzera italiana (coordinator swiss side), Fondazione Links, TRT Trasporti e Territorio
Coordinator LIUC – Università Cattaneo
Funding Interreg (EU) – Specific Objective RSO 3
Links Website

Overview

SWITCH (Shifting Ways of Intermodal Transport on Cross-border Haulage) is an Interreg project (2024–2027) that tackles the excessive road traffic load on cross-border axes and border crossings between Italy and Switzerland, which generates congestion and significant environmental impact on the fragile Alpine natural areas.

Through a multidisciplinary approach, SWITCH promotes a modal shift from road to rail, integrating expertise in logistics, policy governance, and advanced Artificial Intelligence technologies.

OptiModal AI

The centrepiece of SWITCH is OptiModal AI, an ICT platform developed under the scientific leadership of SUPSI. It goes beyond simple consultation portals by dynamically analysing complex operational scenarios and evaluating the optimal matching between road and rail transport demand and supply.

The platform evaluates freight flows across three sustainability dimensions:

Dimension Description
Economic Operational cost assessment via Life Cycle Costing; analysis of incentives (Ferrobonus) and taxation on intermodal break-even
Environmental CO₂-equivalent emissions measurement per ISO 14083:2023 and the GLEC V.3.0 framework
Social External costs to society: health impacts, noise, accidents, and congestion in sensitive cross-border areas

The core algorithmic components include:

  • Demand–supply matching — algorithms to match production companies’ needs with available rail services
  • Optimal routing — dynamic balancing of delivery times, economic costs, and environmental impacts
  • Multi-objective decision support — trade-off analysis across economic, environmental, and social objectives

Pilot Projects

Pilot activities are conducted along the two main railway axes connecting the cooperation area:

  • Sempione axis — testing freight flows through the north-west border crossings
  • Gottardo axis — experimentation along the Rhine-Alps corridor towards central Switzerland

The pilots focus on identifying freight categories most suitable for modal shift (chemical, agri-food, manufacturing) based on flow analysis, and co-developing the platform with participating companies.

Key Activities

  • Regulatory and customs study: analysis of transport and customs regulations, comparison of Italy–Switzerland asymmetries
  • Infrastructure mapping: railway system and intermodal terminal mapping
  • Policy guidelines and incentive models for modal shift
  • OptiModal AI platform development and pilot testing
  • Dissemination and stakeholder engagement