Questioning the relevance of using Physical Internet for managing autonomous train shuttles in rural areas

Current logistics and transportation activities are unsustainable in the long run, prompting several authors to focus their efforts on developing solutions. However, the majority of the proposed solutions are aimed toward a more urban setting, disregarding rural or sparsely populated areas since they present numerous and difficult challenges. In this context, the EU adopted a strategy based on the Physical Internet paradigm to achieve a sustainable logistics and transportation system by 2050. One solution focuses on the reuse of railway lines that are currently underutilized or unaffected by the introduction of autonomous shuttles that transport passengers and small packages. However, no analysis of the capacities provided by the Physical Internet for the application of these shuttles has been conducted to date. As a result, the purpose of this article is to conduct an analysis of the challenges and opportunities of the rural context, as well as the potential solutions offered by the Physical Internet to address them.