Brussels, 06/09/2004 (Agence Europe) - According to a report commissioned by the International Union of Railways (UIC), investment in the field of combined transport is insufficient to meet market demand. In order for rail to absorb growth, greater capacity of the rail network and intermodal terminals are needed, the report concludes.
Unlike the trend for rail freight transport, international combined rail-road transport more than doubled between 1988 and 2002, going from 14 to 44 million tonnes. Given this growth, the study commissioned by UIC from Kessel & Partner, Kombiconsult and MVA on 18 trans-European corridors, insists on achieving investment by 2015 in order to guarantee a traffic situation in favour of rail transport and the elimination of bottlenecks. In parallel, the study recommends other solutions such as, for example, the construction of freight-only lines and greater train length.
Experts drafting the report also placed emphasis on trans-loading capacity in intermodal terminals. The terminal, which is an interface between road and rail, is the essential element for the combined transport provision chain. Although the situation is less alarming than that on the rail network, an additional 13% total capacity is nonetheless required. "It is therefore crucial for investment to be made in time to avoid temporary capacity failures", experts recall. (The report can be consulted at: http: //http://www.usic.asso.fr ).