Brussels, 25/05/2012 (Agence Europe) - A study, commissioned by associations representing rail interests, which analyses the external costs of the various forms of transport, has confirmed the strong advantages of the rail sector over road, and to a lesser extent aviation, when considering the wider social and environmental impacts of different transport modes. The study carried out by consultants CE Delft, ISIS and INFRAS, found that, per passenger-km, the external costs of cars or aviation are about four times those of rail transport, with a similar pattern for freight transport. This was what the rail sector was waiting for to ask the Commission to go still further on the internalisation of external costs, something that has been started in the road transport sector, with last year's review of the Eurovignette directive.
External costs represent the monetary value of each impact (noise, CO2, air pollution, accidents, etc) from the various forms of transport. Inland waterways are the transport mode that comes out top, with only 0.3% of the external costs of transport. The rail sector, passenger and freight combined, comes next, contributing 2% of external costs. Road transport is responsible for the overwhelming share of total external costs with a share of 93%, due principally to passenger cars. At 4%, aviation comes far below road transport, but still produces higher external costs than rail.
The rail associations will use these figures to inform the European transport debate. International Railway Association (UIC) Director General Jean-Pierre Loubinoux said the study “is yet another clear indication of the benefits of the rail sector in environment, social and economic terms”. Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies (CER) Director General Libor Lochman said he hoped “the Commission will push ahead with plans to further internalise external costs that would produce fairer competition between the different modes of transport, and create the conditions for modal shift in favour of the less polluting modes.” (MD/transl.rt)