Efforts to revise the Combined Transport Directive have continued. The European Commission has revealed a new plan to change the legislative text. Among others, the scope of the Directive would be extended to cover all...Read more
A provisional agreement has been reached on the amendment of the Eurovignette Directive. This means that one more step has been taken towards a more equal playing field for rail and road transport. In practice,...Read more
Much of the European rail network is currently free of charge. This is thanks to the regulation that allows for a waiver, or reduction of track access charges during the pandemic. However, this possibility is...Read more
Denmark is limiting operational options for foreign freight companies active in combined transport. Starting from 21 February 2022, the country will not allow more than three weekly road transport operations to combined transport undertakings. The...Read more
European policy makers should find a way of charging for infrastructure that incentivises the greenest possible choice of modality. This requires a multimodal approach, rather than an isolated policy for a single transport sector, say...Read more
Railway associations want to prolong the regulation allowing to waive, reduce or defer track access charges in the face of Covid-19. The regulation would last until the end of June, but they asked for it...Read more
The combined transport sector scored a positive performance in Q1 of 2021. Compared to the same period last year, traffic increased by 3,17 per cent. The results came under unprecedented conditions, involving Covid-19 restrictions and...Read more
The Commission’s guidelines concerning the European Green Deal’s implementation are comprehensive and necessary. However, the Combined Transport (CT) sector needs to focus on some specific aspects to contribute the maximum in the collective goal. As...Read more
Today, Thursday 22 April it is Earth Day, also the start of the World Leaders Summit on Climate. There is no better day to highlight the benefits of intermodal freight transportation. This is exactly what...Read more
A level playing field for road and rail transport can only be achieved when charging for access to road or rail happens on an equal basis. However, as many have argued, we are still far...Read more
Rail infrastructure needs to be adjusted to the needs of intermodal traffic, and the revision of the TEN-T regulation is the ideal moment for such a change. That is the core message of the UIRR...Read more
Following a month of disruptions in the Rhine Valley after the rockslide on 15 March, railway undertakings (RU’s) decided to raise the matter on a European Union level and enforce the German Railway Regulation Act....Read more
Transport Ministers from Fifteen different EU Member States signed and adopted a Joint Position Paper on 31 March. The Joint Paper calls out the EU Commission to launch an initiative for the support of rail...Read more
The German start-up company Modility started a pilot booking and marketplace site this week for combined transport (CT). It allows rail freight operators to market their CT services and freight forwarders to find and book...Read more
On the 19th of February, the EU Commission published a ‘targeted impact assessment study’ concerning the consequences of the new EU road haulage rules on Combined Transport. Just like UIRR had predicted in its study,...Read more
Combined transport in Europe presented a ten per cent increase during the fourth quarter of 2020, compared to the same period in 2019. The pre-Brexit preparations, together with this usually busy period of the year,...Read more
Intermodal operators in Scandinavia suffer costs that well exceed one million euros per week due to the Danish ban on pocket wagons with semi-trailers. The disturbance is substantial, and operators do whatever is needed to...Read more
The rail sector is concerned about last week’s announcements regarding the upgrade of the European Climate Law. CER, ERFA, and UIRR believe that the Eurovignette Directive reform undermines rail freight’s competition, and focuses more on...Read more
