The consortium, which is led by Amadeus and includes BeNe Rail International, the International Air Transport Association , Thales, Unife, and Germany's Zeppelin University, has been set up as part of the EC's Roadmap to a Single European Transport Area. This initiative aims to develop a more sustainable transport system across Europe, drive growth within the transport sector, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

In the first stage of the project, Zeppelin University will complete an in-depth study of multimodality by the end of the year. Once the results have been validated by the EC, the consortium will carry out proof of concept trials on various business models, operations, and specific technologies for the proposed system.

"We need to develop multimodal journey planners in Europe," says EC transport commissioner Mr Siim Kallas. "To make the best use of all existing transport modes and infrastructure we need to ensure the availability, accessibility and exchange of all relevant information."