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Principles for building digital transport corridors (DTC), including multimodal digital corridors
Origin of the term and concept of DTC (2017–2018)
As noted in the section on national TLS platforms and systems, the term Digital Transport Corridors (DTC) was originally introduced within a project initiative aimed at harmonizing digital markets of the EU and Eastern Partnership (EP) countries. In 2017–2018, in the EP countries, with the participation of key Completesoft experts, the DTC concept was developed based on the use of “data pipelines” and the interoperability of national electronic logistics platforms/systems (NSLP). According to the baseline definition, a Digital Transport Corridor is a federated network (chain) of interconnected digital platforms that integrate information resources of participants in an international transport corridor and form a trusted information space around it in the form of a “data pipeline”. The purpose of this system is the digitalization and efficiency improvement of end-to-end business processes in transcontinental supply chains, as well as the provision of an advanced set of digital services.
At the same time, DTC is characterized by a multi-layer architecture, schematically shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1. multi-layer architecture of the DTC
Levels of DTC architecture
The first technological level of the DTC consists of information systems of participants in the national segments of transport corridors: cargo owners, carriers, freight forwarders, and national control authorities.

The second level of national DTC segments is represented by national TLS platforms/electronic logistics systems.

The third supranational level of the DTC consists of interregional digital platforms with a federated structure, built on the “single window” principle and forming data pipelines that integrate TLS platforms/NSLPs of participating countries within a specific corridor.

In 2019–2020, during the development of a pilot project for the digitalization of the transport corridor between the Baltic and Black Seas, the Completesoft expert group formulated the following basic requirements for the functional levels and elements of the DTC:

  • Federated-level platforms must not replace information systems of transport corridor participants (first DTC level) or national electronic logistics systems (second DTC level), but rather create synergistic effects from the interaction of these systems within a coherent DTC architecture and ensure information security of cross-border transactions.
  • DTCs must be created through seamless integration of national segments capable of supporting multimodal cargo transportation. To implement this principle, NSLPs should be built using interoperable digital logistics platforms. Such platforms serve as “building blocks” of digital infrastructure, from which DTCs of any configuration can be formed by linking TLS platforms of countries participating in a given transport corridor into a transit chain.
  • Seamless integration of national systems requires solving regulatory, organizational, semantic (document-related), and technical interoperability challenges. In each country, the national platform is intended to act as an integrator of information flows and a system that processes data coming from key participants and regulators of multimodal transport, and transforms it into standardized data formats and international electronic documents. Thus, a typical NSLP platform, along with standardized data formats and electronic documents, ensures interoperability of national DTC segments as a federated and scalable network of national platforms.
  • During the creation of DTCs, a unified trusted information space of corridor participants must be formed, which can be implemented as a data pipeline. For efficient information exchange within the DTC, electronic document exchange and structured data/message exchange must be implemented in accordance with international standards and formats.
  • Building DTCs requires reengineering and digitalization of end-to-end business processes in transport corridors, including transit, import, and export operations.
  • To design and optimize DTC components, it is advisable to use digital models of infrastructure objects and transport means, which can be created based on data transmitted from the first (technological) level or from the second level of national DTC segments.
  • DTCs should enable the provision of an advanced set of value-added digital services to key participants in supply chains.
Basic principles of DTC construction (DTLP expert network, 2023)
Based on the above requirements, the key experts of Completesoft formulated the following basic principles for building Digital Transport Corridors (DTCs) in 2023:

  1. The principle of preserving the digital sovereignty of participating countries in a DTC, implemented through the creation of national segments that can be integrated into transport corridors of different configurations.
  2. The principle of interoperability of national segments, information systems, and digital platforms of DTC participants.
  3. The principle of a federated approach to forming a supranational DTC platform.
  4. The principle of multimodality, which implies the creation of systems and digital platforms supporting transport across all major modes of transport.
  5. The principle of visualization — monitoring and traceability of transport operations.
  6. The principle of digital trust and information security, based on the creation of a trusted information space in the DTC, modern participant and object identification methods, and a high level of information protection in data and document exchange.
  7. The principle of seamless cross-border information exchange using standardized data formats and electronic documents with ensured legal validity.

The applicability of these principles was tested in 2024–2025 using well-known Eurasian project initiatives on transport corridor digitalization, with expert discussions of results held at a regional CAREC institute conference.

In 2025, UNECE experts presented a discussion paper on the creation of Multimodal Digital Corridors (MMDCs) using UN standards. Expert discussions on the proposed MMDC concept began in December 2025, and in January 2026 key Completesoft experts prepared an analytical note on the political and organizational aspects of building MMDCs using UN/CEFACT standards. The note emphasized that digital multimodal corridors should be developed in stages, based on a holistic vision and understanding of their organizational structure, core principles, business requirements, functional architecture, main components, and future operational model and services provided to supply chain participants. This vision must be developed through coordinated joint efforts of experts from MMDC participating countries and approved by relevant government authorities, taking into account interoperability requirements of national segments.

The cornerstone of the MMDC concept is seamless multimodal exchange of data and documents using UN/CEFACT standards. This forms the basis for semantic interoperability and cross-border data exchange between national MMDC segments. For seamless and legally significant cross-border information exchange in MMDCs, Data Pipeline solutions can be used, built on modern digital technologies, authentication mechanisms, and data protection tools.
Infrastructure (technical) interoperability of MMDC national segments in the SPECA region can be achieved through seamless integration of key national electronic logistics platforms or digital TLS platforms, which are actively being developed and implemented in a number of Eurasian countries, including Azerbaijan, India, Kazakhstan, China, Russia, and Uzbekistan. Legal interoperability issues are actively being addressed within the SPECA digitalization roadmap and are being progressively resolved through joint actions of UNECE and the TRACECA Secretariat, coordinated with SPECA participating countries.

Organizational interoperability is considered especially important for MMDCs, since their national segments inherently have a multi-level organizational structure. In practice, organizational compatibility means integration or alignment of business processes and related information exchanged between MMDC participants in order to provide an advanced set of digital services.
An example of an organizational information exchange scheme proposed by UNECE experts for the multimodal Middle Corridor is shown in Figure 2.
Figure 2. information exchange scheme in the Middle (Trans-Caspian) corridor