Logistical problems of transporting rock raw materials from the Lower Silesia region and the concept of co-modality

Abstract: The article presents the scale of rock raw material extraction in Lower Silesia and the transport problems associated with the degradation of road infrastructure caused by the movement of heavy trucks transporting raw materials from mines to final recipients or railway sidings. A condition for improving the situation on the roads, and especially for reducing their degradation, is to increase the share of rail in the transport of these goods.According to the concept of co-modality, the most economically and ecologically justified transport system should be used. Taking into account local conditions, rail transport seems to be the most predisposed. However, increasing the export of raw materials by rail will not solve all the problems associated with this task. In the conclusion, postulates regarding the solution to the problem are formulated.
1. INTRODUCTION
Lower Silesia is a national hub for rock raw materials. It possesses rich deposits of these materials. This situation, on one hand, favors the development of the mining industry, and on the other, is the cause of massive degradation of road infrastructure due to the transport of these materials by road. According to the experience of carriers and transport cost analysis, under current price conditions, the transport
of raw materials over a distance of up to 180 km is profitable to carry out by road transport.
The demand for rock raw materials is constantly growing due to the dynamic development of the country. A significant portion of the extraction also finds foreign recipients, mainly in
Germany. Sustainable development of the region and the mining industry requires better utilization of rail transport and, in some cases, inland waterway transport than has been the case so far.
In light of the announced road and motorway construction programs in Poland, it should be expected that the demand for rock raw materials in Poland will grow. The construction of one kilometer of a new road requires the use of approximately 30,000 tons of aggregate, which requires 1,200 trips by trucks with a load capacity of 25 tons to transport it. Often, the total mass of these vehicles exceeds 40 tons. These are most often high-capacity, self-unloading trucks. (…)

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