Multimodal Transport: Short Introduction. University of Helsinki. Multimodal transport. For vehicles, see Dual-mode transit Multimodal transport (also known as combined transport) is the transportation of goods under a single contract, but performed with at least two different means of transport; the carrier is liable (in a legal sense) for the entire carriage, even though it is performed by several different modes of transport (by rail, sea and road, for example).
The carrier does not have to possess all the means of transport, and in practice usually does not; the carriage is often performed by sub-carriers (referred to in legal language as "actual carriers"). The carrier responsible for the entire carriage is referred to as a multimodal transport operator, or MTO. Article 1.1. of the United Nations Multimodal Convention (which has not yet,[when?] Overview[edit]