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ReportReport onon thethe CurrentCurrent StateState ofof CombinedCombined TransportTransport inin EuropeEurope EUROPEAN CONFERENCE OF MINISTERS TRANSPORT EUROPEAN CONFERENCE OF MINISTERS OF TRANSPORT REPORT ON THE CURRENT STATE OF COMBINED TRANSPORT IN EUROPE EUROPEAN CONFERENCE OF MINISTERS OF TRANSPORT (ECMT) The European Conference of Ministers of Transport (ECMT) is an inter-governmental organisation established by a Protocol signed in Brussels on 17 October 1953. It is a forum in which Ministers responsible for transport, and more speci®cally the inland transport sector, can co-operate on policy. Within this forum, Ministers can openly discuss current problems and agree upon joint approaches aimed at improving the utilisation and at ensuring the rational development of European transport systems of international importance. At present, the ECMT's role primarily consists of: ± helping to create an integrated transport system throughout the enlarged Europe that is economically and technically ef®cient, meets the highest possible safety and environmental standards and takes full account of the social dimension; ± helping also to build a bridge between the European Union and the rest of the continent at a political level. The Council of the Conference comprises the Ministers of Transport of 39 full Member countries: Albania, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (F.Y.R.O.M.), Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Moldova, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, the Russian Federation, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine and the United Kingdom. There are ®ve Associate member countries (Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand and the United States) and three Observer countries (Armenia, Liechtenstein and Morocco). A Committee of Deputies, composed of senior civil servants representing Ministers, prepares proposals for consideration by the Council of Ministers. The Committee is assisted by working groups, each of which has a speci®c mandate. The issues currently being studied ± on which policy decisions by Ministers will be required ± include the development and implementation of a pan-European transport policy; the integration of Central and Eastern European Countries into the European transport market; speci®c issues relating to transport by rail, road and waterway; combined transport; transport and the environment; the social costs of transport; trends in international transport and infrastructure needs; transport for people with mobility handicaps; road safety; traf®c management; road traf®c information and new communications technologies. Statistical analyses of trends in traf®c and investment are published yearly by the ECMT and provide a clear indication of the situation in the transport sector in different European countries. As part of its research activities, the ECMT holds regular Symposia, Seminars and Round Tables on transport economics issues. Their conclusions are considered by the competent organs of the Conference under the authority of the Committee of Deputies and serve as a basis for formulating proposals for policy decisions to be submitted to Ministers. The ECMT's Documentation Service is one of the world's leading centres for transport sector data collection. It maintains the TRANSDOC database, which is available on CD-ROM and accessible via the telecommunications network. For administrative purposes the ECMT's Secretariat is attached to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). PubliÂe en franËcais sous le titre : RAPPORT SUR LA SITUATION ACTUELLE DU TRANSPORT COMBINEÂ EN EUROPE Further information about the ECMT is available on Internet at the following address: http://www.oecd.org/cem/ ECMT 1998 ECMT Publications are distributed by: OECD Publications Service, 2, rue AndrÂe Pascal, 75775 PARIS CEDEX 16, France. TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Introduction:.......................................................................................................................... 5 2. Definition and main features of combined transport............................................................... 7 2.1. Definitions ..................................................................................................................... 7 2.2. Main features of combined transport............................................................................... 7 3. International activities in combined transport........................................................................ 11 3.1. ECMT activities............................................................................................................ 11 3.2. UN/ECE activities: the AGTC/AGN ............................................................................ 12 3.3. European Union Activities in the area of combined transport......................................... 14 3.4. Other international governmental agencies .................................................................... 15 3.5. International professional associations........................................................................... 15 4. General analysis ................................................................................................................... 17 4.1. Main routes used in combined transport ........................................................................ 17 4.2. Standards of related infrastructure ................................................................................. 20 4.3. Transit time and reliability ............................................................................................ 21 4.4. Organisation.................................................................................................................. 24 4.5. Border crossings............................................................................................................ 26 4.6. Factors determining the competitiveness of combined transport vis-à-vis road transport on selected European routes .................................................................... 27 5. Combined transport on main international links.................................................................... 29 5.1. Criteria on which links were selected............................................................................. 29 5.2. North-West to South-East Europe: UK/Netherlands/Belgium/Luxembourg through Germany and Austria to Hungary/Bulgaria/Romania/Greece/Turkey ................................................................... 30 5.3. North to South-West Europe: UK/Netherlands/Belgium through France to Spain/Portugal .......................................... 31 5.4. North to South-Central Europe: Sweden/Norway/Finland/Denmark through Germany/Austria/Switzerland to Italy ........ 32 5.5. Western Europe to Eastern Europe ................................................................................ 34 5.6. Inland waterway transport: North Sea to Black Sea Other inland waterway links used in combined transport ............................................... 35 5.7. Coastal shipping............................................................................................................ 37 3 6. Price competition between road and combined transport....................................................... 40 6.1. General ........................................................................................................................ 40 6.2. Case studies .................................................................................................................. 41 6.3. Conclusions .................................................................................................................. 48 7. Summary of findings and comparison with the conclusions of the 1992 report ..................... 50 7.1. General analysis ............................................................................................................ 50 7.2. Analysis of rail operations in combined transport .......................................................... 55 7.3. Analysis of national and international regulatory measures............................................ 57 Annex A: Country reports........................................................................................................... 61 Annex B: International European Combined Transport Road-Rail traffic in 1996.......................131 Conclusions and Recommendations adopted at the Council of Ministers held at Copenhagen on 26 and 27 May 1998 ...............................................................................161 4 1. INTRODUCTION This report on the current state (April 1998) of combined transport in Europe needs to be set within the general context of the ECMT’s development as an organisation. From the early 1990s, the ECMT gradually expanded to include the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, which became new partners of the Conference in preparing and implementing a pan-European transport policy. This process is today nearly complete. Following the accession of Hungary, Poland and the former Czechoslovakia in 1991, and then the Baltic States, Bulgaria, Moldova, Romania and several States of the former Yugoslavia (Bosnia Herzegovina, Croatia and Slovenia), the ECMT welcomed three other countries from the region in 1996, namely the former Yugoslav