The intermodal transport market in Poland is a young market characterized by small but steady growth. An increase in this type of transport is observed compared to total freight transport, but the share of intermodal transport performance in the total freight transport performance in Poland is less than 5% (the highest percentage of intermodality is characterized by the handling of foreign trade cargo by foreign maritime carriers – about 14%).
The strategic goal of intermodal transport development in Poland is to create favorable technical, legal-organizational, and economic-financial conditions for the dynamic development of the intermodal transport system so that its share in rail transport reaches the average level of European Union countries from 2000 by 2020, i.e., 10-15% in tonnage terms.
The problem of increasing traffic congestion and improving road safety has been addressed for years by the European Commission in documents presenting the strategy for transport and logistics development. One of the first ideas, published in the White Paper, was to increase the share of transport modes alternative to road transport, especially rail transport. Strong emphasis was also placed on the use of intermodal transport, i.e., transport where goods are moved by means of transport of different modes.
Intermodal transport involves combining different modes of transport during carriage in the same so-called integrated loading unit. Furthermore, to speak of intermodal transport, there must also be a single contract of carriage, and one operator must be responsible for the delivery of the goods. A condition for the functioning of intermodal transport is also the discretization of the cargo, which means that only the entire loading unit is subject to transshipment operations.
Opportunities and barriers to the development of intermodal transport in Poland
Poland, as a transit country, should be a transport route for both North-South and East-West traffic. Almost all transport corridors run through our country. However, the share of intermodal transport is too low compared to the potential that Poland has. The market share of intermodal transport in Poland is growing year by year. Although we are still far from other European countries, it is already known that there is no other direction for development in transport. In the first quarter of 2014, the share of intermodal transport increased by 6 percent compared to the same period in 2012.
Unfortunately, despite the significant development of point intermodal infrastructure, the share of intermodal transport using rail vehicles in Poland, estimated based on data from the Central Statistical Office, PKP Cargo, and PCC Intermodal SA, is only about 2.5-3%. Currently, most container transport from Polish seaports is carried out by road (about 80%). Nevertheless, this market has great development potential, and the volume of intermodal transport may increase to a level of about 10-15% in the near future. However, further development and modernization of both point and linear logistics infrastructure are necessary. These changes, due to their key importance for the growth of intermodal transport, should also be a priority for authorities at the national, regional, and local levels.
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Source: Logistyka Magazine