The term “terminal” is used in CT operations but might cover a lot of different notions and concepts that are not similar such as hub, freight terminals, intermodal terminal, freight hubs, logistic centers, freight villages, and CT terminal.

The notion of terminal has been recently inserted in European legislative environment: (1) Directive 2012/34, (2) Implementing Regulation 2017/2177, (3) Rail Freight Corridor Regulation, and (4) TEN-T Regulation. Moreover, official legal texts, glossaries, and standards have also created definitions related to the handling of intermodal loading units (i.e., UNECE, IANA, and EUROSTAT). Table 1.1 displays all relevant identified definitions related to the terminal.

Table 1.1. An overview of existing definitions related to the CT terminals with regard to their legal sources.

Notion SourceDefinition
Terminal UN/ECE terminologyA place equipped for the transshipment and
storage of ITUs
Freight terminalDirective 2012/34Listed without definition
(Freight) TerminalImplementing Regulation
2017/2177		Mentioned without definition
Freight terminals in 4
subcategories
Intermodal terminals
Multifunctional rail
terminals
Public sidings
Private sidings		EU Study on European
portal for all rail service
facilities (related to
Regulation 2017/2177)		“Intermodal terminal” means an installation for
transshipment of standardized loading units
(i.e., containers, swap bodies, and semi-trailers)
with at least one of the modes served must be
rail or inland waterway
Terminal
Intermodal freight
terminal		Rail Freight Corridor
Regulation 913/2010		“Terminal” means the installation provided along
the freight corridor which has been specially arranged
to allow either the loading and/or the
unloading of goods onto/from freight trains, and
the integration of rail freight services with road,
maritime, river and air services, and either the
forming or modification of the composition of
freight trains; and, where necessary, performing
border procedures at borders with European
third countries
Terminals
freight terminal		Regulation 1315/2013:
TEN-T Guidelines		“Freight terminal” means a structure equipped
for transshipment between at least two transport
modes or between two different rail systems,
and for temporary storage of freight, such
as ports, inland ports, airports, and rail-road
terminals
Intermodal transport
terminal		EUROSTAT Transport
Statistics (glossary)		A structure equipped for the transshipment and
storage
of ITUs between at least
two transport modes or between two different
rail systems, and for temporary storage of
freight, such as ports, inland ports, airports, and
rail-road terminals.
Intermodal terminalIANA Intermodal
Glossary		A facility designed for the loading and unloading
of containers and trailers to and from flatcars
for movement on the railroad and subsequent
movement on the street, sea or highway

Source: UIRR data, 2021.