Rethinking Multimodal Transport Systems: Design, Operation and Sustainability in Future Transportation

Dear Colleagues,

As transportation systems evolve due to the pressure of climate change, urbanization, and digitalization, the concept of multimodality has emerged as a foundational paradigm for rethinking how people and goods move. However, the shift toward electrified vehicles, while promising, is insufficient in and of itself. Without guaranteeing that electricity is sourced sustainably, and without redesigning the broader system of mobility and logistics, this transition risks being superficial.

Moreover, cities—accounting for over 70% of global CO₂ emissions—must play a central role in enabling and governing sustainable multimodal transport. The rise of concepts such as the physical internet, which proposes a standardized, open, and modular approach to freight logistics, reflects a broader need to rethink how different transportation modes and networks interact.

In this context, multimodality must be understood not only as an operational feature, but as a systemic redesign of transport ecosystems, involving infrastructure, policy, energy, technology, and behavior.

We are pleased to invite you to contribute to this Special Issue. We are responding to a global imperative: to decarbonize transport systems rapidly and comprehensively, as electrification alone is not enough. We need intelligent, connected, and interoperable transportation systems that are designed holistically, powered by renewable energy, and operated with systemic efficiency in mind.

Aim and Scope of the Special Issue: The goal of this Special Issue is to bring together innovative research that addresses the urgent need to transform multimodal transportation systems to ensure they are in line with global sustainability goals. It invites interdisciplinary contributions that explore how multimodal design and operational strategies can reduce dependency on fossil fuels, optimize infrastructure use, and ensure that emerging transportation technologies contribute meaningfully to environmental and social resilience.

We particularly welcome contributions that achieve the following:

• Address the integration of electric mobility with energy systems powered by renewable sources, ensuring sustainability beyond tailpipe emissions;
• Explore the design and governance of urban freight systems, including concepts like the physical internet and decentralized logistics;
• Examine the role of cities, as primary generators of CO₂ emissions, in enabling multimodal solutions through infrastructure, regulation, and innovation;
• Propose novel planning tools, business models, digital frameworks, or policy mechanisms that support seamless, low-impact intermodality in both the passenger and freight sectors.

Contributions to this Special Issue will shape the discourse around what “future transportation” should look like—it should be multimodal, zero-emission, systemically integrated, and designed for resilience. We aim to provide a platform for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to share insights that support this transition and to accelerate innovation at the intersection of technology, infrastructure, and sustainability.

This Special Issue aims to address the following issues:

The integration of sustainable energy:

• Integration of renewable energy sources with electric vehicle infrastructure;
• Life-cycle assessments of energy systems powering multimodal transportation;
• Smart charging, vehicle-to-grid (V2G), and grid balancing strategies.

Urban multimodality and emission reductions:

• City-scale strategies for reducing CO₂ emissions via multimodal planning;
• Freight and passenger integration in dense urban environments;
• Policy instruments for decarbonizing urban transport (e.g., zoning, taxes, incentives).

The physical internet and systemic logistics:

• Implementation of the physical internet in freight logistics;
• Modular packaging, open networks, and shared logistics platforms;
• Interoperability and data standards for cross-modal coordination.

Digitalization and operations optimization:

• AI and big data applications in multimodal route planning;
• Simulation and digital twin models for network-level multimodal optimization;
• Real-time data systems for multimodal traffic and logistics management.

Infrastructure design and governance:

• Multimodal transport hubs: design, efficiency, and user experience;
• Equity and accessibility in multimodal infrastructure planning;
• Governance models and public–private collaboration in multimodal systems.

We welcome a variety of contributions, including the following:

• Original research articles—novel empirical or theoretical findings;
• Review articles—systematic reviews or meta-analyses synthesizing existing knowledge;
• Case studies—real-world implementations or pilot programs in multimodal transport;
• Policy analysis—critical perspectives on regulatory, institutional, or governance issues;
• Short communications—concise reports on early-stage findings or innovative ideas;
• Technical notes/conceptual frameworks—emerging tools, models, or methodologies.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Maria Matusiewicz
Prof. Dr. Adam Koliński
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Future Transportation is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• multimodal transportation systems
• sustainable urban logistics
• physical internet
• zero-emission transport
• intermodal freight networks
• renewable energy integration
• urban freight decarbonization
• smart infrastructure design
• data-driven transport planning
• system-level transport optimization