Digital twins are increasingly being used to explore how transport systems might change before costly decisions are made in the physical world. Their application, however, remains fragmented, with many existing models focusing on individual assets or specific tasks such as traffic management, EV charging or fleet operations. Researchers at Cranfield University are now proposing a standardised framework that could provide a common structure for using digital twins across different transport modes.

The framework adapts the international ISO 23247 standard, originally developed for digital twins in manufacturing, to the specific requirements of transport decarbonisation. It is intended to cover road, rail, air and maritime transport and bring together elements that are often treated separately: vehicles and infrastructure, energy systems, data, communication technologies, operational processes, climate factors and human decision-making.

One of the most interesting aspects is that emissions and energy performance are designed into the framework from the beginning rather than being added as an additional analytical layer. This could allow planners and operators to compare different decarbonisation strategies virtually before investing in new infrastructure or changing how transport services operate. The framework also incorporates interoperability, cybersecurity and governance, recognising that a useful digital twin needs to connect more than just technical data sources.

The researchers tested the concept through more than 100 academic studies and over 10,000 records from literature and expert workshops. A freight scenario demonstrates how the approach could connect electric airport ground vehicles, electric trucks, charging infrastructure and aircraft using sustainable aviation fuel within a single digital environment. The example is particularly relevant to multimodal freight, where decisions in one part of the transport chain can influence emissions and energy requirements elsewhere.

For Europe, where transport decarbonisation increasingly requires coordination between modes, regions and infrastructure operators, standardisation could be particularly valuable. A common architecture would make it easier to connect digital twins rather than developing isolated models that cannot exchange information effectively.

The proposed framework is still a reference architecture, not a finished operational system. Its value will ultimately depend on further pilot testing, interoperability trials and real-world implementation. Nevertheless, establishing common principles could be an important step towards using digital twins not just to model individual transport assets, but to understand the wider system and make better-informed decisions about its transition to net zero.