Cross-Border Critical Transport Infrastructure Management: The Experience of the Odescalchi 2022 Full-Scale Binational Exercise Between Italy and Switzerland

The bi-national exercise “Odescalchi 2022” is part of the SICt - Resilience of Cross-Border Critical Infrastructure project funded by the Interreg Italy-Switzerland 2014–2020 program. The project aims to strengthen the resilience of cross-border transport infrastructure between the Regione Lombardia (Italy) and the Cantone Ticino (Switzerland). The paper describes the organization and implementation of a five-day full-scale exercise on Lake Maggiore in a border area between Italy and Switzerland. Among the various scenarios in the exercise was a mountain fire that caused a landslide, resulting in the derailment of a railway tanker loaded with liquefied petroleum gas, which led to the interruption of the Cadenazzo - Luino railway line and the SS 394 state road. Both transport infrastructures are essential links between Italy and Switzerland for passenger and freight traffic. This paper aims to describe using the Critical Infrastructure Platform (PIC), developed in the SICt project, as a decision support tool for the various stakeholders involved in the exercise. The platform, used in real-time by over fifteen actors (institutional bodies, infrastructure managers, and first responders), consists of Collaborative Emergency Management and Geographical Viewer. During the exercise, the platform enabled the sharing of alerts, events, and planned activities, as well as the dynamic visualization of traffic and mobility management measures, including, for example, alternative routes. Debriefings identified strengths and issues for improvement, providing a replicable methodological model for future cross-border exercises.