CRISTAL – The Climate resilient and environmentally sustainable transport infrastructure, with a focus on inland waterways

The aim of the project is to increase the share of freight transport in inland waterway transport (IWT) by at least 20% and to demonstrate in three pilot locations (Italy, Poland and France) a strategy to improve reliability by 80%. The project will ensure inland waterway capacity of 50% even during extreme weather events.

To achieve the above, CRISTAL will co-create, test and implement integrated, collaborative and innovative solutions in three pilot partner areas identified in Italy, France and Poland. The project will cover aspects of innovation/technological development and digitalisation; further advances towards the Internet of Things, management solutions and business models will be proposed, while taking into account sustainability requirements and infrastructure resilience. Innovations will include technological solutions, decision support systems and management models.

The aim of the CRISTAL project is therefore to strengthen the reliability of the infrastructure, improve its efficiency and increase the resilience of the entire IWT system, creating a “future-proof”, climate-resilient infrastructure system, while ensuring an increase in the use of recycled materials and a reduction in the environmental impact of IWT use and infrastructure. With its approach, CRISTAL will contribute to seamless connectivity between different modes of transport to improve the sustainability of (freight) transport and achieve the Agenda 2030 climate target plan.

Official project website: https://www.cristal-project.eu/