Inland container logistics and interport. Goals and features of ongoing applied research

The paper analyze the fundamental economic characteristics of the logistics facilities located in the hinterland of seaports. More specifically the paper deal with issues related both to the meaning of the term “interport” and the functions of this new kind of inland freight node with reference to the case of Italy and by considering the recent evolutions in container transportation and logistics networks. The article introduce some preliminary topics related to the interport-seaport system in Campania region, in Southern Italy, by describing some economic and organisational features of the regional rail freight network and of the interport-seaport railway connection. The efficiency and effectiveness of an integrated planning and organisation of Campania ports and interports, with the related possibility of an efficient co-modality, represent important issues which will mark the competitive evolution of territorial logistic system.