Regulation (EU) 2024/1679 requires Port Authorities to act as co-designers of the urban mobility ecosystem

The recent entry into force of the new Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) Regulation, officially designated as Regulation (EU) 2024/1679, has shaken the urban mobility governance of European cities, as it deliver a new framework for the intersection of port logistics and urban mobility.

For years, Port Authorities and municipal planners have often operated in parallel, treating the port as an isolated industrial enclave separated from the urban traffic flows. The revised TEN-T Regulation restructures the concept of urban nodes and place Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs) at the heart of the European transport and environmental transition, thus mandating logistics and port industry inclusion in drafting the mobility strategy. 

Under Article 40 of the new regulation, urban nodes now incorporate the access points to the TEN-T network, primarily maritime and inland ports, airports, and multimodal freight terminals. This means that, by December 31st, 2027, every designated urban node must adopt and monitor a SUMP that transcends traditional public transit, encompassing for the first time urban logistics, ensuring the sustainable movement of goods between the port and the urban hinterland, aiming to reduce air and noise pollution. For Port Authorities, this represents both a significant challenge and a strategic opportunity, because ports are now legally tethered to the urban mobility planning process.

The inclusion means that port-hinterland connectivity and the mitigation of heavy-duty traffic must be managed but also co-managed with local municipalities – ports are not alone anymore in this matter and have an active role in SUMP strategies, rather than being merely constrained by exogenous regulations, emphasising a highly collaborative governance model.

Article 42 relates to the need for seamless interconnection for freight, promoting the establishment of urban logistic facilities to enhance the consolidation of deliveries: micro-hubs and cycle logistic hubs directly connected to railway and waterborne transport infrastructure are specifically included and represents the frontier of logistics strategies. By 2040 urban nodes are also required to develop at least one multimodal freight terminal with sufficient transhipment capacity, meaning that Port Authorities shall align their infrastructural masterplans with the city’s SUMP. This translates to a clear goal: the distribution of goods transitioning from maritime to land transport shall not congest the urban road network anymore. 

Of course, this infrastructural integration is linked to the European Union’s broader greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction and environmental targets. The new TEN-T regulation tightly weaves the deployment of alternative fuels recharging and refuelling infrastructure into the urban and port environments. SUMPs must now feature robust measures to promote zero and low-emission mobility, actively decarbonizing urban fleets for freight. For port cities, where maritime and heavy trucks emissions historically contribute heavily to local pollution, the SUMP becomes a binding blueprint. While the SUMP regulates the onward journey of cargos via zero-emission land modes, Port Authorities will be instrumental in deploying shore-side electricity and alternative refuelling infrastructure. 

Regulation (EU) 2024/1679 puts a significant twist in the nature of SUMPs, from a municipal passenger strategy into a comprehensive transport and environmental compass. It compels Port Authorities to step outside their jurisdictional boundaries but to act as co-authors of the urban ecosystem. By harmonizing port operations with sustainable urban logistics, the new TEN-T framework ensures that the maritime sector’s journey towards decarbonization is seamlessly anchored to the climate resilience of the European port city.