Rhine-Alpine News

04.03.2026

The Legacy of MultiRELOAD and the Future of Inland Ports

© Duisburg, Development Center for Ship Technology and Transport Systems (DST)

© Duisburg, Development Center for Ship Technology and Transport Systems (DST)

On February 11th and 12th, the city of Duisburg hosted a gathering that felt less like a typical project conclusion and more like a manifesto for the future of European logistics. The Inland Ports Innovation Days served as the final chapter for MultiRELOAD, a project that the EGTC Rhine-Alpine has been proud to support as a partner. Over the course of February 11th and 12th, the traditional image of the inland port, as a place of heavy machinery and static infrastructure, was replaced by a vision of ports as dynamic, digitalized innovation hubs.

MultiRELOAD has always been about more than just testing new technology; it has been a laboratory for the “corridor thinking” the EGTC championz. By bringing together several of the most relevant inland ports in Europe, among which the Swiss Rhine Ports, Hafen Wien, and duisport, the project successfully demonstrated that the modal shift from road to rail and water is a technical reality that requires a new kind of system orchestration. At the Development Center for Ship Technology and Transport Systems (DST) and across the vast Duisburg Gateway Terminal, we saw this in action. Initiatives like NOVA, ELLA, and the enerPort II project showed us that the next generation of ports will be hydrogen-ready, data-driven, and deeply integrated into their local urban environments.

The discussions over these two days highlighted a significant cultural shift in the industry. There was a consensus that for inland ports to remain the backbone of the European Green Deal, we must move past the era of isolated pilot projects. The future belongs to “innovation ecosystems” where research from centers like the DST is funneled directly into market-ready solutions. This requires not just better software, but a concerted effort to reduce the bureaucratic hurdles that often slow down the deployment of green tech. As the red noses in our group photo suggested, while the challenges of climate resilience and cyber risks are daunting, the strength of the “hinterland family” lies in its ability to collaborate with both rigor and a positive, forward-looking energy.

As project coordinator Jan-Christoph Maass noted during the closing, this wasn’t an end, but a “starting signal.” For the EGTC, the success of this project reinforces our mission: to ensure that the Rhine-Alpine Corridor remains a leader in connectivity and sustainability. The tools, data links, and personal connections forged in Duisburg are now part of our collective toolkit. We extend a sincere thank you to all our partners and the organizers who reminded us that innovation, at its best, is a team sport.

 

Read More about the project: 

MultiRELOAD

Urban Nodes and the Future of the TEN-T in Arnhem

© Dr. Cecilia Braun presenting at the Urban Nodes conference in Arnhem

© Dr. Cecilia Braun presenting at the Urban Nodes conference in Arnhem

On February 26th, the House of the Province of Gelderland in Arnhem became a lively intersection for European transport policy as it hosted the high-level conference, “Urban Nodes and Opportunities in Europe“. This initiative emerged from the structural cooperation between the state of North Rhine-Westphalia and five Dutch provinces (Mobility NL-NRW), specifically designed to address a transformative shift in European law. Following the 2024 amendment of the TEN-T Regulation, all cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants have officially attained “Urban Node” status. This designation is far more than a title as it represents a strategic gateway to accelerating smart, sustainable, and inclusive mobility. The Arnhem conference served as an essential roadmap for navigating this new terrain, providing a platform for experts to discuss how these nodes can bridge the gap between local ambitions and the overarching long-distance corridors that define the European network.

The day was structured to translate high-level Brussels policy into regional reality, featuring a prestigious lineup of speakers including Isabelle Vandoorne from the European Commission and Karen Vancluysen of the POLIS Network. Representing the EGTC Rhine-Alpine, Dr. Cecilia Braun contributed her deep expertise to the dialogue, focusing on the critical link between urban areas and international corridors. The plenary program and subsequent working sessions tackled existential questions for modern cities, such as the mandatory implementation of Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs) by 2027 and the defining of “Functional Urban Areas” (FUAs) to ensure that transport planning does not stop at city borders. These sessions offered an interactive space to explore urban logistics from an city-center perspective, the nuances of Urban Mobility Indicators (UMIs), and the complex task of unbundling local mobility from international freight transit to guarantee capacity for both.

Perhaps the most significant takeaway from the gathering in Arnhem was the power of cross-border synergy. By aligning the strategies of Dutch and German provinces, the Mobility NL-NRW initiative is proving that regions are significantly more impactful when they speak with a unified voice in Brussels. The conference made it clear that Urban Node status is a powerful tool to strengthen long-term regional strategies and unlock diverse funding streams beyond traditional national grants. As we look toward the future, the partnerships forged in the House of the Province will ensure that the Rhine-Alpine Corridor remains not just a transit route, but a connected network of thriving, sustainable urban centers. This collaborative spirit is what will allow our regions to learn from one another, ensuring that the infrastructure of tomorrow is as inclusive as it is efficient.

Read more about the Event:

Urban Nodes and Opportunities in Europe

EGTC: A New Phase Begins in Mannheim

© New director Dr. Reinert (on the left) holding hand with former director Dr. Braun (on the right)

© New director Dr. Reinert (on the left) holding hand with former director Dr. Braun (on the right)

Yesterday at the Verband Region Rhein-Neckar, a milestone in the history of the Interregional Alliance for the Rhine-Alpine Corridor was officialized: the formal handover of the EGTC directorship from Dr. Cecilia Braun to Dr. Marie-Eve Reinert. This transition marks a fundamental shift, moving from a decade of foundational growth toward a fully professionalized internal structure. After serving the network for ten years and leading as Director since 2022, Cecilia Braun concluded that the evolving European landscape, shaped by the TEN-T revision and corridor mergers, demanded a strategic reset. In her reflections, she noted that the complexity of today’s infrastructure climate requires a dedicated, full-time leadership to drive the organization forward, expressing her full confidence in Mrs. Reinert’s ability to navigate this transition with rigor. This change represents a structural evolution; for the first time since its inception, the EGTC office is transitioning to a model of direct employment, signaling a permanent commitment to the corridor’s future.

Looking back, the EGTC’s journey is rooted in a shared vision that began long before its formal establishment in 2015. It emerged from the pioneering spirit of the CODE24 project, where regional partners first recognized that the Rhine and the Alps were backbone of a connected Europe. From those early days as a grassroots alliance of regions and port authorities, the EGTC has grown into a respected voice in Europe, transforming transport policies into tangible cooperation along one of the world’s most vital logistics axes. There is a sense of nostalgia in how far we have come, from the foundational workshops in Mannheim to the sophisticated interregional strategies that now guide our path. We honour the years of corridor thinking and the Interreg-funded roots of CODE24 that built the trust and the network we stand upon today.

Building on this foundation, the EGTC now serves as both a laboratory for the European Green Deal and a platform for strengthened European cooperation. We envision a future where the Rhine-Alpine axis serves as a high-performance digital backbone for the continent, where bottlenecks are a memory of the past, and where future-oriented transport solutions seamlessly link the North Sea to the Mediterranean. Under the leadership of Marie-Eve Reinert, the EGTC is poised to turn these aspirations into reality. The Alliance now possesses the internal engine to champion lighthouse initiatives that will define the next generation of cross-border mobility. We look forward to gathering the entire network to celebrate this new direction at the 23rd General Assembly in Zwolle this April.

 

 

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