Transport Policy

Transport Policy Report

26/03/2008

A concern for freight transport activity

Freight transport activity has been a concerned because it is necessary to integrate all the different transport modes such as air, rail, road and pipelines, to reach a good situation whereby it would benefit all citizens in making their transport activity more desirable and more efficient in terms of costs and time spent. Moreover, as there is a higher consideration for the environment’s sustainability, the European Commission (EC) is very keen in reducing the number of road transport and directing the movements into rail and water transportation instead.

The advantages of rail transportation will be described in the next point.

Why is an increase in rail’s share if freight transport desirable

According to European road statistics 2007, the usage of rail transport for the transportation of goods is far below the usage of road transport. It is merely 25% of the road transport. Although there has been an increase of the rail transport usage at a rate of 10% over the last 10 years, it is still far below expectations, and some actions need to be taken in order to increase the percentage. The goal is of course to make the usage of rail transport exceeds the usage of road transport.

There is a high desire of EC to increase the usage of rail transportation firstly to make better use of the facility and capacity available. Secondly, rail freight transports are also deemed to be more environmental friendly as they are more efficient in terms of the fuel consumption. Therefore the amount of carbon dioxide and harmful gases released to the earth would become smaller. Furthermore by making more use of the rail transport it would be able to decrease the congestions resulted from the high usage of road transportation. The number of risks, accidents, and delays would also become smaller. Rail transport is also more efficient in the costs expenses and would be able to carry more bulks in much longer distances than road transport. Besides that there is also the advantage of the shorter time factor that a synergized rail transport would offer. Last but not least, since the oil prices has been increasing steadily over the last past years, rail transportation will make a very good alternative for road transportation. The business men who were usually just concern about their money and their expenses rather than the environment’s conditions would have no objection in participating the rail freight transport since it would have them cut on their expenses.

EC is very keen in making this projection a success by building more railways across more prominent areas in the whole European region, so that it can increase the capacity and accessibility of rail transportation and therefore would be able to boost the usage of rail transportation as a desirable mode of surface transport.

How successful the current policies will be in achieving an increase in rail’s share of freight transport

Considering the numerous EC current policies to favor rail’s freight transport such as:

i. Priority for transnational corridors

ii. Improve infrastructure management (including making sure the correct size, etc)

iii. Introduction of Europtirails

iv. Creation of RailNetEurope

v. Constructions of more infrastructure in the TEN-T network such as Betuwe Line

vi. Ancillary rail services (especially terminals and marshalling yards)

vii. Service quality along