Natural disasters, including weather events but also major disruptive events such as bridge collapse (Baltimore, USA) or strikes, demonstrations(France), or geo-political conflicts can cause disruptions to the multimodal freight network and industry supply chains. These disruptions impact communities, businesses and the overall economy. When large-scale events disrupt freight systems, supply chains can fail, and populations are at risk of losing access to basic necessities and critical supplies needed to support recovery. Emergency response and recovery activities are dependent on the expeditious movement of utility service vehicles and trucks carrying emergency supplies, medicine, food, fuel, and infrastructure repair materials to the affected area. Freight system resilience, the ability of the system to resist and rebound from disruptions, is essential to ensure the reliability of economically important supply chains and, the timely distribution of critical resources and services. Multimodal freight transportation system resilience depends on the collaboration between public sector infrastructure owners and operators and privately-owned modes, carriers and shippers.

This session will give illustrations of those with foresight studies (Alps) and also returns of experience (Baltimore case).