Transport in the steel industry in Poland and the European Union

Recent studies in the field of transport in the steel industry in European Union countries have shown that transport carried out for the steel industry takes place via three main types of transport: rail, road, and water. Steel products delivered to the internal market and iron ore are the main goods transported for the steel industry in the European Union (Fig. 1).

Figure 1. Transport for the steel sector in the EU [in million tonnes] Source: Own study based on [4] Furthermore, it should be noted that the steel sector remains the main user of rail transport in the European Union. In 2006, products and raw materials for the steel industry (iron ore, scrap, steel products) transported by rail accounted for 22% of all goods transported by this mode, while steel products in road transport accounted for only 5%, and in water transport for 15%.
In the same year, the share of transport carried out for the steel industry in Poland amounted to 4% in rail transport, 10% in road transport, and 11% in water transport.
In 2008, in Poland, transport for the steel industry was carried out by road transport in 54%, by rail transport in 44%, and almost 2% of goods were transported by water. The presented transport structure is very similar to the transport carried out for the steel industry in France (Fig. 2). In the structure of transport by mode, carried out for the steel industry in selected European Union countries, one can notice interesting cases where the steel industry largely uses relatively cheap water transport, as is the case in the Netherlands, Italy, as well as Sweden and Slovakia. The comparison also includes countries where transport for the steel industry is carried out almost entirely by road transport, such as in Spain, Slovenia, and to a lesser extent
Figure 2. Transport for the steel sector in the EU by mode of transport. (…)

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