Mar 16, 2026

[IPIC 2026 II Webinar] Physical Internet applications for containerised consolidation on public transport

Wednesday, February 11th, 2026

In collaboration with ALICE and the EU-funded projects DISCO, Shift2Zero and IKIGAI, KEDGE Business School and IMT Mines Albi are organising a webinar to explore how the Physical Internet can enable the more effective use of public transport systems for the movement of goods in urban and rural areas.

Urban and rural logistics face different challenges, ranging from congestion and limited space in cities to long distances and low population density in rural areas. The webinar will present two research-led approaches that investigate how containerisation and passenger–freight integration can contribute to more efficient multimodal logistics systems that reduce emissions and improve service performance.

Join us to learn how Physical Internet concepts are being tested in real-world contexts and how they can contribute to Europe’s transition towards net-zero logistics.

Key topics include:

• Containerised and consolidated parcel deliveries using urban public transport
• Passenger-freight integration to improve rural mobility systems
• Application of Physical Internet principles: modularity, interoperability, and network optimisation
• Research findings from case studies in Bordeaux and rural France.

• Cécile Dupouy is conducting PhD research into the integration of urban logistics within public transport systems as part of a joint programme between KEDGE Business School and the University of Bordeaux.
• Eva Petitdemange is an Associate Professor at IMT Mines Albi, specialising in modelling, simulating and providing decision support for logistics systems, with a focus on applying Physical Internet principles to rural and multimodal contexts.

PRELIMINARY AGENDA

• Welcome and introduction by Pablo Segura (ALICE)
• “Optimising urban parcel deliveries with containerised consolidation on public transport: Bordeaux Case Study” by Cécile Dupouy, PhD candidate at KEDGE Business School and the University of Bordeaux.
  • Investigating the integration of freight containers into multimodal urban public transport systems using graph-based models. The Bordeaux case study demonstrates 70% container capacity utilisation.
• “Rethinking rural transport with the Physical Internet: Where does passenger-freight mixing fit?” by Eva Petitdemange, Associate Professor at IMT Mines Albi
  • Exploring how Physical Internet (PI) principles can help to overcome structural barriers in rural transport by combining passenger and freight services to improve efficiency and resilience.
• Q&A and open discussion, moderated by Pablo Segura (ALICE)
• Wrap-up and next steps by Pablo Segura (ALICE)

REGISTRATION

*This event is open to both members and non-members.

*ALICE members do not need to register, as they will receive an invitation containing the connection details.

IKIGAI has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101202912. DISCO has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation program under grant agreement No 101103954. Shift2Zero has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 10119237. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.