The European Commission is focusing on promising modes of transport, such as rail. Elisabeth Werner, Director for Land Transport of the European Commission, on her position on rail freight transport, deficits and demands on the railways.
ÖBB: To what extent does the EU Commission support the internationalisation strategy of rail freight transport?
Elisabeth Werner: In the European Commission we always think at European level. An essential pillar for this is the creation of a single European railway area. But we are also working on better transport links with countries outside the EU. And in the field of transport safety and transport technology, the EU is not only an international leader, it is also the benchmark. We give European railway companies all the support they need.
ÖBB: Where does rail freight transport show deficits in order to counter the rapid developments and trends in logistics?
Elisabeth Werner: The railways must play even more emphatically to their strengths, which they have above all on longer distances between large freight transhipment points, such as large seaports. Here it must become even more flexible and reliable - this also applies to ongoing status information on transports. But it is even more important to focus on customer needs and adapt even more quickly to market changes. Punctuality in freight transport must be given a similar status as in passenger transport.
ÖBB: What needs to change in rail freight transport in order to remain competitive with trucks?
Elisabeth Werner: Personally, I would like the railways to change their attitude towards truck traffic. The truck is not only a competitor to the railways, it is also a valuable partner in the handling of a seamless end-to-end logistics chain. That is why the EU has also designated 2018 as the Year of Multimodality in order to support greater integration of different modes of transport.
What does multimodality mean?
When goods transport takes place within a time window with two or more different modes of transport, we speak of multimodal transport. Several means of transport are used consecutively within a transport chain. Transport is thus combined and combines the advantages of rail and road as well as water and air in one transport chain.
