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Dutch research and consultancy firm Panteia has developed a method for calculating the modal shift potential of traffic flows between the Netherlands and Belarus, Russia and Kazakhstan. The conclusion: 44,500 TEUs of cargo could be shifted to rail, in theory.
Adriaan Roest Crollius, director international projects at Panteia, explains that this potential could be realised if certain bottlenecks are eliminated and freight flows are efficiently managed. It is a study that needs explanation, but the researcher is happy to explain the analysis. At the RailFreight Summit in Poznan, he will take the stage to bring the study to the public.
Linked by Rail
The study is part of the ‘Linked by Rail’ project, coordinated by Panteia, which promotes railway connections between the Netherlands and Poland. For the first time though, the project has been expanded to also consider connections from beyond Poland.
“The Polish-Belarus border is both a focal point and a bottleneck on the New Silk Road. In order to explore the importance of this focal point, Roest Crollius will shed light on the freight flows originating from or heading to the Netherlands and passing this border between the European Union and the countries beyond. He will then discuss opportunities to attract new transport flows.
Opportunities
Leaving the statistics for Roest Crollius to present in Poznan, what is clear is that the opportunities are enormous. “A considerable portion of Dutch imports/exports crosses the Polish-Belarusian border by road. Transport costs for rail transport are (usually) lower than for road transport. Calculating the volume of freight that could be transported at a lower cost by rail determines the potential modal shift from road to rail.”
The study concludes that a total of 44,500 TEUs could be shifted to rail (based on 2017 data). “According to our findings the total potential modal shift from the Netherlands for Russia amounts to 37,500 TEU. The potential modal shift for trade with Belarus and Kazakhstan is lower, respectively 5,700 TEUs and 1,200 TEUs.” Read more
Source: RAILFREIGHT.COM
