Opening the door to Terminal Managers 20/12/12

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The intention to enhance its outreach and representation in Brussels has led to the decision by UIRR’s extraordinary general assembly, which met in Frankfurt today, to invite Terminal Managers to join the Association. Transhipment terminals establish the connection between road and rail to enable Combined Transport (CT).

UIRR has dealt with many issues critical to terminals over the decades that passed since its founding. Whether it was promotion of CT, providing support services to IT systems, or conducting research and development work, CT Operators and Terminal Managers stand on the same side and share interests. Moreover, the European institutions desire a partner, a stakeholder representative to speak for transhipment terminals. UIRR is capable and willing to serve Terminal Managers, provide a platform for best practice exchanges, and represent their interests.

The European Commission’s 2011 Transport White Paper declared an ambitious goal of shifting 30% of longer distance road transport to sustainable modes by 2030, and 50% by 2050. UIRR is convinced that the 5-6% year-on-year tonne-kilometre growth of Combined Transport, which would be needed to reach the European Commission’s modal shift aim, can be realistically reached if the framework conditions are set in an appropriate way and the necessary investments for rail and terminal infrastructure are implemented. Modal-shift to sustainable modes of transport is indispensible to achieve a meaningful improvement of the energy intensity and simultaneously a reduction in greenhouse-gas emissions of European transport. Combined Transport also offers a practical means – by its low accident rate – to improve safety and security of transport, as well as to achieve a substantial reduction of other externalities of (road) transport.

CT train and terminal operators will continue to increase the productivity of Combined Transport through standardisation. 2013 will be the year of introduction of the ILU-Code4, beginning with a large information campaign that is also supported by the Marco Polo program of the European Commission.

Members confirmed the results of the study UIRR had confided to KombiConsult bringing evidence that the unaccompanied CT with standardised loading units is for big traffic flows like on the Gotthard axis the most economic technique today. UIRR is open to technical innovations and the horizontal transfer of trucks or semi-trailers are additional techniques for certain markets as proven by the Rolling Motorway. It is important to analyse in each case carefully to determine which solution may bring the greatest shift with given resources.

The modernisation of UIRR’s visual appearance – also adopted today – intends to express Combined Transports’ values, as well as the Association’s readiness to champion the challenges posed by the European transport sector in the 21st Century.

 

 

“Several Combined Transport operators that are presently members of UIRR also manage transhipment terminals; hence it was easy to recognise that the interests of Terminal Managers grossly overlap with those of CT Train Operators. Consequently, opening the doors of UIRR to Terminal Managers promises great synergies to both sides in order to elevate the effectiveness of road-rail Combined Transport’s representation in Brussels.” – commented UIRR Chairman, Mr Robert Breuhahn, on the occasion.

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