FERRMED, the non-profit, multisectoral association devoted to improving combined transport rail-road and industrial competitiveness in Europe and neighboring countries, has unveiled today its landmark Study of Traffic and Modal Shift Optimization in the EU.
The Study main conclusions are:
1 -To concentrate the investments where 65% of the land freight transport volume is located (18000 Km). Second and third priority investments are stated as well.
2 -To Implement the FERRMED, Fast, Flexible, Rail-Road System of Transport (+FIRRST) in the form of “Mobility as a Service” by:
- Moving efficiently isolated semitrailers, swap- bodies and containers
- Identifying the main EU logistics hubs.
- Determining new rail operational procedures.
- Conceptualizing new intermodal terminals (moving from “dead-end” to “pass-through” lay out).
- Requesting 400 new terminals (characteristics definition and placement in the territory).
- Conceiving multipurpose intelligent freight trains.
3 -The rail has 7.8 times less energy consumption and more than 4 times fewer external costs than the road traffic. The minimum potential reduction of CO2 emissions amounts to 65 million tons per year when applying the FERRMED Combined Transport proposals.
4 -The Net Present Value (Benefits less Costs) of all required investments is 173 billion Euros, 95% of them generated in the most crowded sections of the EU Extended Core Network (18000 Km).
5 - + FIRRST resolves the European White Paper demand on Transport targets (30% of land freight over 300 km by rail)
Key recommendations:
To the EC (DG MOVE)
To establish a “EU land freight priority investment plan” with first priority where the most freight transport exist.
To the European Council and EU Parliament
To consent to the proposed “EU land freight priority investment plan”
To the Member States
To establish the corresponding national investment plan according with “EU land freight priority investment plan”
To the transport sector (logistics operators, transport operators, freight forwarders)
To engage in concretizing and implementing +FIRRST
To the EU key associations
To agree in common guidelines with associations (such as BUSINESS EUROPE, CLECAT, ERFA, ESC, FERRMED, IRU, SME UNITED, UIRR, who have participated in the conference) to support the “EU land freight priority investment plan”, including +FIRRST testing in preselected corridors.
The event has been attended by almost two hundred (both presential and online) representatives of all the EU logistics and transportation socioeconomic sectors, and representatives from China.