Barcelona
Spain
Context
ATM, the Authority of Metropolitan Transport, is the public entity that manages and coordinates all planning instruments in the Metropolitan Region of Barcelona. The ATM is a consortium formed by the Catalan Government, AMB (Authority of Metropolitan Barcelona), Barcelona City Council and the AMTU (Association of Municipalities for Urban Transport). ATM realises the PDM – Mobility Master Plan and has obtained preliminary approval for the plan covering 2020-2025. Within the PDM framework, ATM has set up a “Freight Partnership” – the TSL – that brings together actors in the logistics sector. Also, within this plan, it has established an action to improve the interchange between mobility modes at 102 stations.
Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya or FGC, is a railway company which manages the rail infrastructure and operates services that include some of the metro and commuter lines in and around Barcelona. ATM’s interchange improvement plan includes 28 stations managed by FGC.
THE CHALLENGE
There are various challenges facing a wider deployment of sustainable logistics solutions. Barcelona focuses on making cargo bike services more viable.
Barcelona has several cargo-bike logistics operators (LSPs) that collectively cover most of the city through complementary operational areas defined by postal code. However, the upper part of the city, located up to 200 metres above sea level, is generally served by traditional diesel vans due to the challenging topography. Eight stations within the urban network of a railway operator connecting Barcelona city centre with neighbouring municipalities in the metropolitan area were identified as an opportunity to test a multimodal logistics solution combining e-cargo bikes with rail transport. In addition, there is a significant volume of passenger and freight movements between Barcelona and other metropolitan municipalities, much of which relies on highly congested road infrastructure.
GREEN-LOG INNOVATION
The objective of the Barcelona Living Lab was to test and demonstrate a multimodal approach to urban and peri-urban logistics. The Living Lab explored how public transport infrastructure, particularly the railway network, can be combined with e-cargo bikes to improve the efficiency, reach, sustainability, and working conditions of logistics operations.
The pilot demonstrated a multimodal logistics model combining the FGC railway network with e-cargo-bike deliveries, both within Barcelona and between Barcelona and neighbouring municipalities. This approach extended the operational range of cycle logistics providers and improved delivery feasibility in areas affected by steep gradients, longer distances, limited loading space, tolls, and less cycle-friendly road infrastructure. The collaboration between Van-a-Pedal and Bikelogic also tested inter-operator handovers. In parallel, the autonomous robot proof-of-concept identified safety, operational, and business barriers that need to be overcome before such systems can be deployed in public transport logistics environments.
RELEVANT OUTPUTS
- Quantitative and qualitative assessment of the impact of the enhanced cargo bike services.
- A roadmap for future sustainable logistics actions.
GREEN-LOG PARTNERS INVOLVED
AUTORITAT DEL TRANSPORT
METROPOLITA (ATM)
FERROCARRILS DE LA GENERALITAT DE
CATALUNYA (FGC)
SOLUCIONS ULTIMA MILLA SL
(VANAPED)
FUNDACION EURECAT (EUT)
FACTUAL CONSULTING SL (FACTUAL)
