INTERMODEL EU · Project

Digital Twin Simulation Tools for Planning and Operating Freight Railway Terminals

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Imagine you're planning a huge freight terminal where trucks meet trains — except instead of building it and hoping it works, you first build a full digital replica on your computer. That's exactly what this project did: they combined 3D building design software (BIM) with transport simulation to let planners test different layouts, traffic flows, and operational scenarios before pouring a single cubic meter of concrete. They tested it on two real terminal locations across Europe, proving the tool works not just on paper but against actual logistics challenges.

By the numbers

consortium partners involved

countries represented

real-life terminal cases demonstrated

total project deliverables

73%

industry partner ratio in consortium

SMEs in the consortium

The business problem

What needed solving

Planning and building multimodal freight terminals is expensive, slow, and riddled with costly design errors that only surface during construction or operations. Traditional planning tools treat building design, transport capacity, and operational simulation as separate problems — forcing terminal developers to juggle disconnected models with no way to compare scenarios on cost, performance, and energy efficiency in one place.

The solution

What was built

The project built an integrated BIM-based simulation platform for freight railway terminals, including: operational simulation models tested on 2 real-life terminal cases, an external mobility simulation model for surrounding transport flows, and a full BIM model demonstrated at both real locations — totaling 39 deliverables across design, simulation, and validation.

Audience

Who needs this

Intermodal terminal developers and operators expanding freight capacityRail infrastructure engineering consultancies bidding on terminal design projectsNational and regional transport authorities evaluating freight corridor investmentsPort authorities planning rail connections to maritime freight hubsLogistics companies designing private rail-served distribution centers

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Freight Terminal Development

enterprise

Target: Logistics terminal operators and developers planning new or expanded intermodal facilities

If you are a terminal developer facing pressure to reduce planning errors and construction overruns — this project built a BIM-based simulation environment that lets you model capacity, operations, and costs digitally before breaking ground. It was demonstrated on 2 real-life terminal locations, covering both external mobility flows and internal operational performance.

Rail Infrastructure Engineering

mid-size

Target: Engineering consultancies designing freight and passenger rail infrastructure

If you are a rail infrastructure consultancy struggling with disconnected planning tools for capacity, cost estimation, and energy efficiency — this project developed an integrated methodology combining demand, economic, and capacity models into a single BIM-based output with CAPEX, OPEX, and energy data. With 39 deliverables produced by 15 partners across 7 countries, it offers a tested toolset for complex multimodal projects.

Public Transport Authorities

enterprise

Target: Regional or national transport authorities managing freight corridor investments

If you are a transport authority that needs to evaluate competing infrastructure investment scenarios for rail-road transhipment — this project created simulation tools that compare different terminal designs by operational performance, cost, and capacity. The BIM model demonstrations at both real locations give you a proven method to justify investment decisions with data rather than guesswork.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to license or adopt these simulation tools?

The project data does not include licensing costs or pricing models. Since the coordinator is an SME engineering firm (IDP Ingenieria, Spain), commercial licensing or consulting arrangements may be negotiable. Contact SciTransfer for an introduction.

Can these tools handle large-scale, real-world terminal operations?

Yes — the project demonstrated operational simulation models on 2 real-life terminal cases and produced a BIM model demonstration at both real locations. The tools were designed to cover the full lifecycle from concept design through operational planning.

Who owns the IP and how can I access the technology?

IP is shared among the 15 consortium partners across 7 countries under Horizon 2020 rules. The coordinator IDP Ingenieria y Arquitectura Iberia SL (Spain) is the primary contact for licensing discussions. Based on available project data, no open-source release has been indicated.

Does this work for road-only or rail-only terminals, or only multimodal?

The project specifically targets multimodal freight terminals where rail meets road. The simulation covers transhipment operations between these modes, external mobility patterns, and internal operational flows. Adapting it to single-mode facilities would require consultation with the development team.

How does this compare to standard BIM tools already on the market?

Standard BIM tools handle building design but lack integrated transport simulation, demand modeling, and operational capacity analysis. This project extended BIM with freight-specific simulators that output CAPEX, OPEX, and energy efficiency metrics — a combination not available in off-the-shelf BIM software.

Is the technology ready to deploy today?

The project closed in 2019 with demonstrated BIM models and operational simulations at 2 real locations. The tools reached demonstration level but may require further productization for commercial deployment. The consortium's 73% industry ratio suggests strong practical orientation.

Consortium

Who built it

This is a heavily industry-driven project with 11 out of 15 partners coming from industry (73%), complemented by 2 research organizations and 2 other entities. The consortium spans 7 countries (Germany, Spain, Finland, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Sweden), giving it strong pan-European credibility for freight corridor work. The coordinator, IDP Ingenieria y Arquitectura Iberia SL, is a Spanish SME engineering firm — meaning the technology was built by practitioners who design real infrastructure, not just academics. With 4 SMEs in the mix, the project had commercial pressure to produce usable results rather than purely theoretical outputs.

IDP INGENIERIA Y ARQUITECTURA IBERIA SLCoordinator · ES
TEKNOLOGIAN TUTKIMUSKESKUS VTT OYparticipant · FI
MACOMI BVparticipant · NL
VIAS Y CONSTRUCCIONES SAparticipant · ES
Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunyaparticipant · ES
CENTRE INTERNACIONAL DE METODES NUMERICS EN ENGINYERIAparticipant · ES
KIRUNA WAGON ABparticipant · SE
AUTORITA DI SISTEMA PORTUALE DEL MAR LIGURE ORIENTALEparticipant · IT

How to reach the team

IDP Ingenieria y Arquitectura Iberia SL (Spain) — an SME engineering consultancy. SciTransfer can facilitate a direct introduction to the project coordinator.

Order a report on this consortium See IDP INGENIERIA Y ARQUITECTURA IBERIA SL profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to explore how BIM-based terminal simulation could cut your planning costs? SciTransfer connects you directly with the team that built and tested these tools at real freight terminals. Contact us for an introduction.

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