Innovation driven Collaborative European Inland Waterways Transport Network

IW-NET will deliver a multimodal optimisation process across the EU Transport System, increasing the modal share of IWT and supporting the EC’s ambitions to reduce transport GHG emissions by two thirds by 2050. Enablers for sustainable infrastructure management and innovative vessels will support an efficient and competitive IWT sector by addressing infrastructure bottlenecks, insufficient IT integration along the chain and slow adoption of technologies, such as new vessel types, alternative fuels, automation, IoT, machine learning.

The Living Lab will apply user-centered application scenarios in important TEN-T corridors, demonstrating and evaluating the impacts in simulations and tests covering technological, organisational, legal, economical, ecological, and safety/security issues:

1) Digitalisation: optimised planning of barge operations serving dense urban areas with predictive demand routing (Brussels-Antwerp-Courtrai-Lille-Valenciennes); data driven optimisation on navigability in uncertain water conditions (Danube).

2) Sustainable Infrastructure and Intelligent Traffic Management: lock forecasting to reduce uncertainty in voyage planning; lock planning; management of fairway sections where encounters are prohibited; berth planning with mandatory shore power supply and other services (hinterland of Bremerhaven via Weser/Mittelland Canal).

3) Innovative vessels: new barge designs that fit corridor conditions and target markets: barges with a high degree of automation for urban distribution (East Flanders-Ghent); new barge for push boats capable with low/high water levels optimising capacities (Danube from Austria to Romania); use of GALILEO services for advanced driver assistance like guidance, bridge height warning and automatic lock entering (Spree-Oder waterway close to Berlin).

Accompanying activities are stakeholder engagement, capacity building, and a delivery of the European IWT development roadmap with policy recommendations for increasing the IWT share.

More information about the project can be found at the project website.