Investment needed to shift more semi-trailers
Standard vertical transhipment technologies (gantry cranes/reachstackers), in combination with containers, are becoming more competitive with road-only transport solutions over distances of around 1,000 km, a study has concluded. It added that most intermodal transport chains would already have lower external costs than road-only transport from distances of 600 km.
According to the findings, containers are the most economical loading units and vertical craning is more efficient than horizontal transhipment, including for semi-trailers.
Transhipment capacities in the EU will not be sufficient by 2030, with further investment required to improve the availability of terminals along TEN-T corridors, and structural upgrades needed to transport more semi-trailers by train. (ben)