Posted: January 17th, 2024

Assessing the Economic and Environmental Impacts of Inland Waterway Transport Network Expansions

Assessing the Economic and Environmental Impacts of Inland Waterway Transport Network Expansions

Inland waterway transport (IWT) is a mode of transport that uses rivers, canals, lakes, and other inland waterways to move goods and passengers. IWT is often considered as a sustainable and efficient alternative to road and rail transport, as it can reduce congestion, greenhouse gas emissions, energy consumption, and transport costs. However, IWT also faces some challenges, such as aging infrastructure, low water levels, environmental impacts, and lack of innovation. Therefore, expanding and modernizing the IWT network is essential to enhance its competitiveness and attractiveness.

This paper aims to assess the economic and environmental impacts of IWT network expansions in Europe, focusing on three main aspects: multimodal optimization, sustainable infrastructure management, and innovative vessels. The paper draws on the findings of the IW-Net project, an EU-funded initiative that aims to deliver a multimodal optimization process across the EU transport system, increasing the modal share of IWT and supporting the EC’s ambitions to reduce transport GHG emissions by two thirds by 2050.

Multimodal optimization refers to the integration of IWT with other modes of transport, such as road, rail, and sea, to create seamless and efficient transport chains. The paper analyzes how digitalization can enable multimodal optimization by providing data-driven solutions for planning and routing of barge operations, optimizing navigability in uncertain water conditions, and enhancing information exchange among stakeholders. The paper also discusses the benefits of multimodal optimization for reducing transport time, costs, emissions, and accidents.

Sustainable infrastructure management refers to the maintenance and improvement of the physical infrastructure that supports IWT, such as locks, bridges, terminals, fairways, and berths. The paper examines how intelligent traffic management can improve sustainable infrastructure management by providing forecasting and planning tools for lock operations, fairway sections management, berth allocation, and shore power supply. The paper also evaluates the impacts of sustainable infrastructure management on increasing capacity utilization, reliability, safety, and environmental performance of IWT.

Innovative vessels refer to the development and adoption of new vessel designs and technologies that can enhance the efficiency and competitiveness of IWT. The paper explores how innovative vessels can address the specific challenges and opportunities of different IWT corridors and markets by introducing new barge designs with a high degree of automation for urban distribution, new barge designs for push boats capable with low/high water levels optimising capacities, and use of GALILEO services for advanced driver assistance. The paper also assesses the effects of innovative vessels on reducing fuel consumption, emissions, noise pollution, and labor costs.

The paper concludes that IWT network expansions can have significant economic and environmental impacts for the EU transport system by increasing the modal share of IWT, reducing transport GHG emissions, improving transport efficiency and reliability, creating new markets and opportunities for IWT operators and users, and enhancing social welfare. The paper also provides policy recommendations for supporting IWT network expansions at the EU level.

References:

: IW-Net project – inlandwaterwaytransport. (n.d.). Retrieved January 17 2024 from https://www.inlandwaterwaytransport.eu/iw-net-project/

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