UIRR Roadmap : CT's EU transport policy expectations 11/07/19

From Road to Rail: how to boost Intermodal Transport in Europe
UIRR is the industry association of European Combined Transport Operators and Intermodal Terminal Managers

Containerisation revolutionised transcontinental trade after World War II by mak-ing the transport of all types of cargo possible on a single vessel. High frequency intermodal connections between producers and customers helped create logistics chains delivering the widest possible range of products to supermarket shelves. Manufacturers got access to markets previously beyond their reach. Economic col-laboration across continents emerged. The result is public welfare and the presence of European goods in markets throughout the world.

Continental intermodal transport was introduced into Europe in the 1950s as the number of trucks increased to un-bearable levels – initially in the mountain regions around the Alps. Development of intermodal freight transport accelerated with the 1973 oil crisis. The first European Directive on Combined Transport – promoting the variant of intermodal transport where the length of the road legs is kept to a minimum – was adopted in 1975.

What does Combined Transport do ?

The use of easily transhipped intermodal loading units – containers, semi-trailers, swap bodies – to hold the cargo enables the efficient insertion of electric rail freight into longer distance transport chains. The result : superior energy efficiency, radically lower carbon foot-print, less pollutants, fewer accidents and road fatalities, reduced road degradation and congestion.

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