RailFreight.com:Combined transport: moving ahead or backwards? 18/03/19

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Source: https://www.railfreight.com/intermodal/2019/03/18/combined-transport-moving-ahead-or-backwards/

 

Combined transport: moving ahead or backwards?

Published on 18-03-2019 at 13:38

The legislative piece that assures a harmonised intermodal regulatory framework in Europe is under fire. Although the main aim of opening up this legislation for discussion was to broaden the support for intermodal transport, it now risks moving into the opposite direction. These recent and crucial developments will be explained by the UIRR in a free workshop on 27 March at the Freight & Terminal Forum.

The Combined Transport Directive (92/106/EEC) is an EU instrument that aims to reduce the negative side-effects of goods transport on the environment and on society by supporting the shift from long distance road transport to long distance rail, inland waterways and maritime transport through economic incentives. However, stemming from 1992 without any prior amendment, the legislative piece is outdated and unlikely to realise the objected modal shift. Therefore, the European Commission has proposed amendments to the Directive.

Proposed amendments

The European Commission has proposed to extend its scope of support for combined transport by increasing the distance of the road leg permitted. The maximum distance will be increased to 150 kilometres with a twenty per cent flexibility. Discussions involve the mechanism detailing how this threshold may be exceeded. Further, some Member States have proposed a new rule permitting them to withdraw every state aid measure in case only the road leg of an international combined transport operation would be carried out on their territory, the UIRR explained.

While the current legislation focuses merely on international transport, the amended version proposes to include national transport as well. This too remains a topic of debate. Moreover, some Member States would like to abolish the presently declared legal equivalence of international road haulage and international combined transport.

 

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