110050 - LAND TRANSPORT AND INTERMODALITY MANAGEMENT

Subject type: Mandatory

Coordinator: Valeria Bernardo

Trimester: Second term

Credits: 6

Academic year: 2026

Teaching course: 3

• Catalan

Catalan

The language of the subject, both oral and written, is Catalan.

This subject offers a global vision of the transport system and its relevance in logistics and the economy. It allows the student to acquire skills to understand, analyze and manage the different modes of transport, developing skills for making efficient, sustainable decisions adapted to the current and future challenges of the sector.

In accordance with REGULATION (EC) No. 1071/2009 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 21 October 2009, establishing common rules concerning the conditions to be met to pursue the occupation of road transport operator, this subject complies with the provisions of Annex I, in section H: Road safety elements, working on and evaluating the following contents:

The applicant must, in particular in relation to the transport of goods and passengers by road:

• know the qualifications that the personnel responsible for carrying out the transport must have (driving license, medical certificates, certificates of fitness, etc.);
• be able to implement the appropriate measures to ensure that drivers respect the rules, prohibitions and traffic restrictions in force in the different Member States (speed limits, priorities, stopping and parking, use of traffic lights, road signs, etc.);
• be able to draw up instructions for drivers to verify safety regulations relating, on the one hand, to the condition of the transport equipment and the load and, on the other, to preventive driving;
• be able to establish procedures for action in the event of an accident and implement appropriate procedures to avoid the recurrence of accidents or serious infractions;
• be able to apply procedures to correctly stow goods and know the corresponding techniques;

In relation to the transport of passengers by road:

• have basic knowledge of the road geography of the Member States.

TecnoCampus will make available to teachers and students the digital tools necessary to carry out the subject, as well as, where appropriate, guides and recommendations that facilitate adaptation to the non-face-to-face modality.

The classroom (physical or virtual) is a safe space, free of sexist, racist, homophobic, transphobic and discriminatory attitudes, either towards students or teachers. We trust that together we can create a safe space where we can make mistakes and learn without having to suffer the prejudices of others.

BLOCK 1

Item 1. General aspects of transport

• Economic characteristics of transport: derived demand good, elasticity, seasonality.
• Modes of transport: operational comparison (capacity, cost, speed, flexibility).
• Transport professions.
• Entities and companies in the sector: market structure, main operators.
• Economic overview of the transport sector in Spain and Europe: trends, investment in infrastructure, decarbonization challenges.
• Current situation in the sector: geopolitical and tariff tensions, energy costs and disruptions in global supply chains, and their impact on transport.

Subject 2. Evaluation and management of the transports

• Management modes (public, private, mixed).
• Public-private collaboration.
• Cost-benefit analysis: practical calculation of NPV and IRR applied to transport infrastructure projects.
• Calculation of the break-even point for modal choice: road vs. rail vs. intermodal transport according to distance and volume.
• Current management challenges: energy transition in transport (electrification, alternative fuels), digitalization and environmental regulatory pressure (ETS, emission limits).

BLOCK 2

Item 3. Road transport

• Road transport infrastructure and networks.
• International bodies of the sector.
• Structure and organization of the road transport market: typology of operators, degree of atomization, competitive dynamics.
• Operational characteristics of road transport: capacity, costs, routes.
• Calculation of operating costs of a fleet: fixed and variable costs per km, cost per kilometer traveled, break-even point of a route.
• Auxiliary and complementary activities.

Item 4. The transport of goods by road

• Evolution of supply and demand.
• Characteristics of road freight transport.
• The commercial transport contract: operational and commercial management approach (conditions of service, negotiation with shippers).
• Calculation of rates and freight: pricing methods (by weight, volume, distance), load consolidation problems and optimization of vehicle occupancy factor.

Item 5. The international transport of goods by road

• Evolution and trends in international road freight transport in Europe.
• Operational management of international shipments: operational documentation, deadlines, incoterms applied to land transport.
• Management of customs flows from a logistics perspective: time, costs and critical points at the border.
• Route optimization and cargo consolidation in international transport: problems of cost and time minimization.

BLOCK 3

Item 6. Rail transport

• Railway facilities and equipment.
• The Spanish railway network.
• Capacity management and railway slots: allocation, operators, competition in the sector.
• Rail transport of passengers and goods: models of exploitation and commercial operations.
• Calculation of capacity and occupancy of freight trains: cost-volume relationship compared to road transport.
• European networks: interoperability and corridors.

BLOCK 4

Item 7. Urban transport

• Transport in the urban environment.
• Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans.
• Congestion tolls.

BLOCK 5

Topic 8. Intermodal transport

• General aspects of intermodal transport: design of intermodal logistics chains, modal choice criteria.
• Combined road-rail transport: operations, terminals, transhipment.
• Maritime-land interface: operational management of dry ports and connection terminals.
• Practical cases of modal comparison: calculation of total cost (door-to-door) and CO₂ emissions between pure road, rail and combined transport, for modal choice decision-making.

Assessment

It will consist of continuous assessment and a final exam, with the following percentages:

• 40%: Continuous assessment
• 60%: Final exam

Continuous assessment (40% of the grade):

It is mandatory for all students enrolled in the subject and will include the following activities:

• Multiple choice questions (30% of the EC): they will be carried out from home with a maximum time of 20 minutes, in an enabled period of five days, at the end of each theoretical module.
• Group work (50% of the EC): in teams of 3-4 people, the design of an intermodal transport strategy for the logistics management of a fictitious company will be proposed, which must include a quantitative comparison of costs and time between the modal options analyzed. Both the quality of the analysis and the document, as well as the presentation and defense in class, will be assessed.
• Short seminars and participation (20% of the EC): each student will have to participate in practical seminars, which will include solving calculation exercises (operating costs, rates and freights, modal comparison), debates or small case presentations. The capacity for analysis, critical thinking and active participation will be assessed.

Failure to submit any of the continuous assessment activities will represent a 0 in this test.

Final exam (60% of the grade):

It will consist of two parts, a theoretical part (test type, in which incorrect answers will be penalized) and a practical part (calculation exercises: costs, rates, modal comparison). A minimum grade of 5 must be obtained in each of the two parts (theoretical and practical) so that the exam can be averaged with the continuous assessment grade (40%). If a 5 is not achieved in either part, the student will have to go for retakes.

Non-compulsory attendance

Attendance at the course is not mandatory, but is recommended.

Recovery

Only students who have failed the subject in the ordinary session (overall grade < 5) will be able to take the retake, in accordance with article 5.1 of the TecnoCampus University Centre's assessment regulations. Students who have been graded as "Not Presented" or those who have passed the subject in the ordinary session will not be able to take the retake.

The retake consists of an exam with a theoretical part and a practical part. To pass the retake, a minimum grade of 5 must be obtained in each of the two parts. If a 5 is not achieved in either part, the subject will be considered failed. In no case will the grade from the continuous assessment be retained.

Academic authenticity and originality

The evaluation process is based on the personal work of the students and presupposes the authenticity and originality of the activities submitted. Plagiarism or copying will result in the suspension of the activity or the subject, regardless of the author or the other people involved, in accordance with the provisions of article 11 of the center's evaluation regulations.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools

Their use is permitted as a support for study and practice, but it is totally prohibited to use them to prepare assessment activities. Teachers may request clarification in case of doubt about authorship, in accordance with the provisions of article 12 of the school's assessment regulations.

Any form of academic fraud will be sanctioned in accordance with the center's assessment regulations. If signs of fraud are detected, including the improper use of generative artificial intelligence tools, the subject's teaching staff may call the student for an individual interview with the aim of verifying their authorship.

Cendero, B. and Truyols, M. (2008). Transport: aspects and typologies. Ed. Delta Publications; Madrid.

From Ruso, G. (2001). Cost-benefit analysis. Ed. Ariel Economy; Barcelona

Mauleón, M. (2013). Transport, operators and networks. Ed. Díaz de Santos; Madrid

Albalate, D., Bel, G., Bel-Piñana, P (2015). Stumbling twice with the same stone: bankruptcy of toll roads and costs for taxpayers and users. Journal of Applied Economics.

IDEA. PMUS: Practical guide for the development and implementation of sustainable urban mobility plans. July 2006. Ed. Institute for Diversification and Energy Saving; Madrid

López, A. (2006). Railway infrastructures. Ed. Polytechnic University of Catalonia; Barcelona

Ministry of Development, Government of Spain. Analysis, information and dissemination on the contribution of road transport to intermodality. Ed. Ministry of Development; Madrid

Ruíz, JM (2011). Road transport. Ed. Marge Books; Barcelona

http://chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://documentos.fedea.net/pubs/fpp/2015/10/FPP2015-08.pdf
Albalate, D. and Bel, G. (2015). The international experience in high speed rail.

http://chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://documentos.fedea.net/pubs/fpp/2015/10/FPP2015-08.pdf
From Ruso, G. (2015). Infrastructure policy in Spain: A pending reform.