Project information
- Door-to-door
- Project director: Lucie Anderton
- Project manager: Marie-Luz Philippe
- Status: completed project
- Project code: 4DAENV-5
Door-to-door project framework
Door-to-door solutions in the rail sector refers to the combined use of rail and other modes (or means) of transport in the same journey. Door-to-door solutions promote multimodality, seamless mobility and a rail transport service that is more customer-oriented and therefore able to increase market share for railway companies. The concept of D2D is driven by the growing trend towards digitalisation.
All the actions currently available for a railway company to offer its customers a combined and seamless mobility service that INCLUDES the RAIL TRANSPORT service between the different travel solutions used during the entire journey.
Goals
For railway companies, the development of new, innovative door-to-door solutions is a key factor in becoming competitive with other less sustainable modes, particularly personal cars. This means, for example, giving customers the possibility to choose a single travel solution, even if it involves multiple transport modes or is provided by various mobility operators, through a single user-friendly interface to plan, book and pay for the entire trip.
The objectives to be achieved through the development of D2D are:
- modal shift from less sustainable modes to railways;
- improving interchange between rail and other modes of transport (in particular shared and non-motorised transport modes);
- promotion of a seamless travel experience;
- making railway stations into mobility hubs.
Project phases and timeline
The project will be implemented in three stages and is spread over a period of three years.
Concept - The goal of the conceptual stage is to set a theoretical framework, establishing a definition of what door-to-door solutions are as well as a shared vision of why and how best to integrate these new customer-centric transport services as part of a sustainable mobility approach.
Engagement - The project should build on experience already implemented by railway companies by analysing them and disseminating their results among UIC members. The main purpose is to collect and analyse the various types of integration both between transport modes and transport services. The main focus of this collection is to select digital D2D solutions such as, for example, the implementation of new technologies, new services and new business models that demonstrate efficient and effective results in terms of improving the service provided by railways and shifting from less sustainable modes of transport to rail.
Dissemination - A proposal for “UIC guidelines on sustainable passenger door-to-door solutions” is being drafted on the basis of the results from the previous phases. The guidelines focus on the following main topics: technologies/services/business model of “door to door” solutions, international collection of best practices for door-to-door solutions and experiences involving railway companies, KPIs in order to monitor the implementation of solutions by market share gains and positive environmental impacts, and recommendations for a valuable door-to-door business strategy. The final report provides a summary of the work carried out and the overall conclusions.
Workshops
Warsaw
Door-to-door solutions: New business opportunities for urban mobility
This first event aimed to open dialogue between railway companies and urban mobility providers on a new mobility service offering by exchanging best practices and stimulating new partnerships and cooperation.
Agenda and speaker presentations
Rome
Door-to-door solutions: GET CITIES AND STATIONS CLOSER
The event served as an opportunity to discuss the initial results of the study launched a year ago by sharing the preliminary study results.
Digital edition
The opportunities for railways in digital platforms
In this workshop, rail companies and MaaS providers gave an overview of their solutions, experiences and challenges in the field of Mobility as a Service.
Agenda and speaker presentations
Online
UIC Digital Door-To-Door Solutions - 10 Guiding Principles Webinar
This interactive webinar launched the new UIC guidelines: Digital door-to-door solutions: 10 guiding principles for railways.
Agenda and speaker presentations
UIC Contact
For any further information please contact Sustainability Unit.
Deliverables
The first chapter has the function of explaining how the door-to-door theme is central in the shared or collective mobility system, contextualizing it from a technical and historical point of view. It starts from the rise of the personal car, product of the industrial revolution in the early 20th century, leading people back to the movement continuity that had been lost with the advent of railway after the era of “the passage of man and footsteps of the horse”. This analysis aims to clarify the boundaries between personal mobility and shared mobility, through the history of the leadership achieved by personal mobility in the transport sector thanks to some particular technical characteristics that made it a success. At the same time, the main environmental and social repercussions of this epochal transition are underlined.
The second chapter sets out the most important ongoing trends leading to changes in the transport sector, changes comparable to those that occurred during the advent of mass motorization. Among these, the digitalization stands out: the 21st century technological revolution is able to challenge the supremacy of personal cars in favor of shared transport once again.
To better understand this aspect, the third chapter of this report analyzes the innovative shared mobility services enabled by new digital technologies and new behavior. The report will also discuss the importance of accessibility, urban planning and urban development. Defining which such services are, how they work and their characteristics will be the principle questions in order to shape the boundaries of the present shared mobility ecosystem, in which rail services are an essential component. The detailed analysis dedicated to the so-called innovative shared mobility services will lead not only to understand the potential of these services but also to bring out the enormous potential linked to their integration with traditional shared mobility services. In this chapter, we define what the door-to-door digital solutions mean for rail services and what the objectives related to their development are. In particular, we focus on the positive environmental consequences given by actually making the railway a choice of seamless mobility and filling the first and last mile between one train station and another.
The last chapter of the study outlines the framework of the main areas of intervention of door-to-door solutions, what are the strategic lines of intervention to enhance integration with other services and other actors of shared mobility considering also the importance of public policies and investments, trying to bring out risks and opportunities that the sector could face in the future. This chapter aims to bridge with next year’s activity of the Door-to-Door Project, also including a brief summary of some good practices presented by railway operators during the first UIC Workshop in Warsaw on this topic.
