Freight News, Inland waterway, Logistics, Rail, Road

Intermodal still has a long way to go, say EU auditors

[ April 7, 2023   //   Chris Lewis ]

Intermodal freight transport in the EU still cannot compete on an equal footing with trucks, says a report published by the European Court of Auditors (ECA) on 27 March. Regulatory and infrastructure barriers need to be addressed if the EU is to achieve its green ambitions, it says.

Road remains the most flexible and often the fastest and cheapest way to deliver goods and three-quarters of goods in the EU are still transported this way, despite the fact that trucks are major polluters. A shift to rail or inland waterways could however play a key role in greening freight transport, said ECA.

The report also said that there was no specific EU strategy for intermodal freight transport with only non-binding targets for increased use of rail and inland waterways.

In any case, EU targets for to double rail traffic and increase waterway use by 50% are unrealistic.

The auditors also said that the current Combined Transport Directive, the current version of which was adopted in 1992, is outdated and ineffective

Lack of information on intermodal terminals and network capacity prevents logistics operators from offering good intermodal transport solutions, although the proposed revision of the TEN-T regulation could improve the situation.

Tags: European Court of Auditors