Source: https://hungrail.hu/2024/01/18/katasztrofa-lenne-a-vasutnak-a-megakamionok-megjelenese-a-hazai-kozutakon/Author: Hungrail THE APPEARANCE OF MEGA-TRUCKS ON DOMESTIC ROADS WOULD BE A DISASTER FOR THE RAILWAYS The detailed rules have not yet been decided, the continent's railway operators must now make their voices heard in shaping the EU directive! The HUNGRAIL Hungarian Railway Association is constantly working together with its member companies and international partner organizations to finally adopt a package of proposals on mega-trucks that does not reduce the competitiveness of rail freight transport and does not result in the exact opposite of what is, in principle, one of the main green goals of the European Union: to shift as much of the freight transport from road to environmentally friendly rail and water transport as possible. Consequences of European licensing of giga trucks. Source: d-fine.The danger is enormous, since the international rise of larger, longer and heavier trucks is intended to be sold as a change to reduce emissions, partly citing the increasing economies of scale of truck transport, and partly because there would also be zero-emission vehicles among the giga trucks, the permitted larger size and weight of batteries or it would serve to build the hydrogen cell drive.However, the European Commission's proposal to amend the directive on the weight and dimensions of commercial vehicles (96/53, with its popular English abbreviation: Weight and dimension) would not have any positive results at all if it were implemented in its current form. According to a study by d-fine GmbH, a consulting firm in Frankfurt, the consequence would be the reverse modal shift, namely in a big way: the authorization of giga trucks at the EU level would result in a reduction of up to 21% in rail freight transport in general, and 16% in combined transport . Such traffic would be diverted to the public road! This resulted in up to 10.5 million truck trips and 6.6 million tons of extra carbon dioxide emissions annually, the negative external effects can be estimated at 2.2 billion euros (almost 840 billion forints), but the maintenance of the road infrastructure specifically costs more than 1, It would mean additional costs of 15 billion euros (about 437 billion forints).The five European railway advocacy organizations that commissioned the study, i.e
- the CER – Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies,
- ERFA – European Rail Freight Association,
- the UIC – European Railway Association,
- the UIP - International Private Car Association,
- the UIRR - Union of European Combined Transport Companies,