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Master’s in Multimodal Rail-Port Logistics Engineering

Online master's programme of 1,900 hours in rail-port multimodal logistics engineering: 12 modules covering multimodal transport, ports and terminals, rail freight, intermodal terminals, port-rail integration, dry ports, transport modelling, digitalisation and traceability, customs and contracts, logistics sustainability and strategy, with an assigned technical tutor.

Duration1900 h
ModeOnline
LanguageEnglish
Start datesSet by the faculty
AwardSEIUM Institute diploma
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Learning outcomes

What you will be able to do

01

Analyse multimodal logistics chains and their costs.

02

Size port and intermodal terminals.

03

Design competitive rail freight services.

04

Integrate ports with their rail hinterland.

05

Model freight demand and modal choice.

06

Digitalise traceability and transport documentation.

07

Calculate emissions according to ISO 14083 and promote modal shift.

Profile

Who it's for

  • Intermodal logistics engineers designing door-to-door chains.
  • Port terminal planners working on capacity and yard operations.
  • Rail freight operations managers.
  • Supply chain consultants advising shippers and operators.
  • Port authority technical staff involved in planning and rail access.
  • Freight transport analysts working with demand and modal choice data.
  • Engineering or science graduates looking to enter the port sector.
Standards & tools

What you'll work with

  • ISO 668:2020 (series 1 freight containers: classification and dimensions)
  • ISO 14083:2023 (quantification of greenhouse gas emissions from transport chains)
  • Regulation (EU) 2020/1056 (electronic freight transport information, eFTI)
  • Regulation (EU) 2019/1239 (European Maritime Single Window environment)
  • Regulation (EU) 2024/1679 (TEN-T trans-European transport network)
  • Regulation (EU) No 913/2010 (European rail network for competitive freight)
  • COTIF Convention, CIM Appendix (contract of international carriage of goods by rail)
  • Incoterms 2020 (international commercial terms)
  • AnyLogic
  • PTV Visum
  • QGIS
  • Python
Syllabus

12 modules · 1900 h

  1. 1.1. Global supply chains
  2. 1.2. Multimodality and intermodality
  3. 1.3. Intermodal transport units
  4. 1.4. ISO containers and their types
  5. 1.5. European rail freight corridors
  6. 1.6. Rail modal share
  7. 1.7. Costs by transport mode
  8. 1.8. Carbon footprint of transport
  9. 1.9. European freight transport policy
  10. 1.10. Case study: logistics chain of an exporter
  1. 2.1. Types of ports and port authorities
  2. 2.2. Maritime container terminals
  3. 2.3. Dry and liquid bulk terminals
  4. 2.4. Ro-ro and vehicle terminals
  5. 2.5. STS cranes and yard equipment
  6. 2.6. Container yard organisation
  7. 2.7. Port productivity indicators
  8. 2.8. Terminal automation
  9. 2.9. The landlord port management model
  10. 2.10. Lab: sizing a container terminal
  1. 3.1. Rail freight operators
  2. 3.2. Container wagons and flat wagons
  3. 3.3. 740-metre trains
  4. 3.4. Gauge change and interoperability
  5. 3.5. Rolling motorways for semi-trailers
  6. 3.6. Diesel and electric traction in freight
  7. 3.7. Cost structure of a train
  8. 3.8. Liberalisation of the freight market
  9. 3.9. Train paths and capacity for freight
  10. 3.10. Practical exercise: cost of a port-to-inland train
  1. 4.1. Design of rail terminals
  2. 4.2. Loading and unloading track groups
  3. 4.3. Rail-mounted gantry cranes
  4. 4.4. Reach stackers and handlers
  5. 4.5. Capacity and handling cycles
  6. 4.6. Road access and gate control
  7. 4.7. Automation of inland terminals
  8. 4.8. Shunting operations and planning
  9. 4.9. Gauge transhipment terminals
  10. 4.10. Workshop: layout of an intermodal terminal
  1. 5.1. Rail access to ports
  2. 5.2. Internal port rail network
  3. 5.3. Shunting and last-mile operators
  4. 5.4. Container dwell time
  5. 5.5. Port-rail bottlenecks
  6. 5.6. Coordination of train and vessel windows
  7. 5.7. Rail governance within the port
  8. 5.8. The cases of Valencia, Algeciras and Barcelona
  9. 5.9. Lessons from Rotterdam and Hamburg
  10. 5.10. Case study: improving rail access to a port
  1. 6.1. The dry port concept
  2. 6.2. Logistics activity zones
  3. 6.3. Location of logistics platforms
  4. 6.4. Dry port management models
  5. 6.5. Customs clearance at destination
  6. 6.6. Value-added services
  7. 6.7. Investment and financing of terminals
  8. 6.8. Network of dry ports in Spain
  9. 6.9. Success indicators for platforms
  10. 6.10. Lab: optimal location of a dry port
  1. 7.1. Freight demand estimation
  2. 7.2. Modal choice models
  3. 7.3. Design of intermodal networks
  4. 7.4. Route and flow optimisation
  5. 7.5. Discrete-event simulation of terminals
  6. 7.6. Freight transport models
  7. 7.7. Trade data sources
  8. 7.8. Modal shift scenarios
  9. 7.9. AnyLogic and Python tools
  10. 7.10. Practical exercise: truck-rail modal choice model
  1. 8.1. Port community systems (PCS)
  2. 8.2. European Maritime Single Window
  3. 8.3. Electronic freight transport information (eFTI)
  4. 8.4. Real-time container tracking
  5. 8.5. IoT sensors on wagons and containers
  6. 8.6. Distributed ledgers in logistics
  7. 8.7. TAF rail data exchange
  8. 8.8. Digital twins of ports
  9. 8.9. Cybersecurity of port systems
  10. 8.10. Workshop: door-to-door data flow of a container
  1. 9.1. Customs procedures and transit
  2. 9.2. Incoterms 2020 in the chain
  3. 9.3. CIM rail transport contract
  4. 9.4. CMR Convention for road transport
  5. 9.5. Dangerous goods: IMDG and RID
  6. 9.6. Freight transport insurance
  7. 9.7. Liability of the multimodal operator
  8. 9.8. Logistics service contracts
  9. 9.9. Intermodal transport subsidies
  10. 9.10. Practical exercise: documentation for a multimodal shipment
  1. 10.1. Emissions from freight transport
  2. 10.2. GLEC accounting framework
  3. 10.3. Emissions calculation according to ISO 14083
  4. 10.4. Modal shift from road to rail
  5. 10.5. Alternative fuels in logistics
  6. 10.6. Electrification of port equipment
  7. 10.7. Onshore power supply for ships
  8. 10.8. Port-city integration
  9. 10.9. Logistics sustainability reporting
  10. 10.10. Case study: carbon footprint of a corridor
  1. 11.1. Strategies of ports and operators
  2. 11.2. Shipping alliances and their impact
  3. 11.3. Vertical integration of shipping lines
  4. 11.4. Port competition for the hinterland
  5. 11.5. Port investment plans
  6. 11.6. Supply chain resilience
  7. 11.7. Logistics risk management
  8. 11.8. Geopolitics of maritime routes
  9. 11.9. Logistics performance indicators
  10. 11.10. Lab: competitive analysis of a port's hinterland
  1. 12.1. Definition of the logistics corridor
  2. 12.2. Freight demand analysis
  3. 12.3. Diagnosis of the port and its connections
  4. 12.4. Rail service proposal
  5. 12.5. Intermodal terminal design
  6. 12.6. Economic model of the service
  7. 12.7. Emissions assessment of the corridor
  8. 12.8. Corridor implementation plan
  9. 12.9. Master's Thesis report
  10. 12.10. Master's Thesis: defence before a panel
Methodology, software & labs

How you'll learn

100% online training on the SEIUM campus, with downloadable material, recorded classes and an assigned technical tutor. No fixed timetables: you progress at your own pace within each intake, making it compatible with work.

Each module combines theory, guided reading of the original standard and applied exercises. The working software is AnyLogic, PTV Visum, QGIS and Python, in free, academic or evaluation versions. Testing is studied through real procedures: discrete-event simulation of terminals, modal choice studies on real corridors and carbon footprint calculation for logistics chains. Assessment is continuous by module, plus the final Master's Thesis.

Standards covered: ISO 668:2020, ISO 14083:2023, Regulation (EU) 2020/1056 (eFTI), Regulation (EU) 2019/1239, Regulation (EU) 2024/1679 (TEN-T), Regulation (EU) No 913/2010, COTIF Convention (CIM Appendix), Incoterms 2020.

Assigned technical tutor:every module ends with a deliverable that your tutor marks individually.
Standards-based learning:guided reading of ISO 668:2020, ISO 14083:2023 and Regulation (EU) 2020/1056 (eFTI) applied to real cases, not as a theoretical annex.
Industry software:AnyLogic, PTV Visum, QGIS and Python, in free, academic or evaluation versions.
Master's Thesis with defence:a rail-port logistics corridor project, from freight demand to the implementation plan, defended before a panel.
Flexible format:100% online, no fixed timetables, compatible with full-time work.
Capstone project

Build it end to end

Your final project follows the real engineering workflow, step by step, reviewed by your tutor.

Container terminal sizing
Size a container terminal and its yard equipment.
Intermodal terminal layout
Design the layout of a rail intermodal terminal.
Modal choice model
Build a truck-rail modal choice model for a corridor.
Corridor carbon footprint
Calculate the emissions of a logistics corridor according to ISO 14083.
Master's Thesis
A rail-port logistics corridor project, from freight demand to the implementation plan, defended before a panel.
Career opportunities

Where this takes you

Intermodal logistics engineerPort terminal plannerRail freight operations managerSupply chain consultantPort authority technical officerFreight transport analyst
Admissions & scholarships

Requirements

  • A university degree in engineering, science or architecture, or equivalent demonstrable professional experience.
  • An internet connection and a computer capable of running the programme's software.
  • English sufficient to read technical standards.

Ready to start?

Send your application today. Our admissions team replies within 72 hours with your study plan and funding options.

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FAQ

Frequently asked questions

The programme totals 1,900 hours over 12–14 months. You set your own pace within each intake, and your tutor helps you plan the workload around your job.

You work with AnyLogic, PTV Visum, QGIS and Python, using free, academic or evaluation versions. Your tutor indicates the free alternative wherever one exists.

A SEIUM Institute diploma, awarded on passing the continuous assessment and the Master's Thesis. It is SEIUM's own qualification, not an official state degree; its recognition depends on the programme completed and the regulations of each country.

Yes. Modules passed in a course or postgraduate diploma in the same area are recognised in the higher programme. Ask about the recognition policy when you enrol.

A university degree in engineering, science or architecture, or equivalent professional experience, plus a suitable computer and English sufficient to read technical standards.

Start dates are set by SEIUM's faculty for each intake. Our admissions team will confirm the next available date when you apply.

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