TIGER
Transit via innovative gateway concepts solving European intermodal rail needs

In line with the economic recovery, freight traffic is increasing again. Ports and roads are congested and the investments in infrastructure often cannot follow traffic expansion. Solutions are required to provide adequate hinterland rail connections to relieve port and road congestion.

TIGER is a European Commission co-funded project. It focuses on the geographical locations of Germany, with the gateway ports of Hamburg and Bremerhaven and the extensive German intermodal rail network, and Italy, with the gateway port of Genoa and the transhipment ports of Gioia Tauro and Taranto.

The TIGER challenge is to find logistic solutions for sustainable transportation based on co-modality through hinterland rail connections. The aim is to achieve maximum productivity with available resources. Innovative concepts are being developed, including new technologies and the re-organisation of hinterland transport chains through the development of inland dry ports and mega hubs. The automatisation of the intermodal transport chain to/from the seaports into the hinterland is one of the key project drivers. The productivity challenge of the coming decades is to transport more freight with the available resources, given that Europe budgetary constraints limit de facto the investments in overland infrastructures both on rail and road.

Our company, Deutsche Umschlaggesellschaft Schiene-Straße (DUSS) mbH, is one of the 25 TIGER project partners. As one of the leading European terminal operators, we share our know-how of 25 years’ experience in the field of terminal and intermodal operations. Our role in the project comprises the development of an optimal layout for the rail mega hub and the dry port. The creation of an operational concept for the mega hub, including IT software and semi-automation, is one of the project tasks. The feasibility of handling and storing both continental and maritime containers with their different requirement profiles in the hinterland terminals is an additional key topic; another one is the development of a rail-rail-cargo handling system in order to reduce train dwell times in the rail hub to a minimum.

DUSS — one of the leading European terminal operators
Our core business is the operation of intermodal terminals, including the provision of a wide range of additional terminal services. Throughout Germany we operate a total of 25 intermodal terminals. The four biggest DUSS terminals are Hamburg-Billwerder, Köln-Eifeltor, München-Riem and Duisburg-Ruhrort-Hafen. The terminals are among the most important major transhipment facilities in Europe’s intermodal transport network, with gateway connections to all major business centres in Europe.

DUSS plays a leading role in the development of new intermodal terminals as well as the improvement and expansion of existing terminal facilities.

DUSS also offers project management and consulting services in the field of intermodal terminals and provides state-of-the-art IT solutions for intermodal operations.

Our aim is to promote combined transport and the use of more environmentally friendly means of transport by offering our clients strategically located interfaces for the transhipment of intermodal units between rail and road.