Rail-sea freight transport as a significant element of Poland’s sustainable sectoral transport system – part 2
This is easy to notice when comparing the container transport volumes shown in the charts for both rail and sea transport. One of the reasons for this situation is certainly the lack of competitiveness of freight rates compared to road transport, but also the lack of appropriately adapted and modern point infrastructure, i.e., a network of modern container terminals and logistics centers. The fundamental reason for the relatively high rate for transport services –
This is easy to notice when comparing the container transport volumes shown in the charts for both rail and sea transport. One of the reasons for this situation is certainly the lack of competitiveness of freight rates compared to road transport, but also the lack of appropriately adapted and modern point infrastructure, i.e., a network of modern container terminals and logistics centers. The fundamental reason for the relatively high rate for transport services –
offered by PKP CARGO SA –
is the high rate for access to infrastructure, which is among the highest in Europe. Another reason for losing the competition with road transport is insufficient flexibility, which is undoubtedly influenced by the costs of launching new rail connections for small cargo flows. Comparing the costs of launching a traditional train for the transport of four or five containers in relation to road transport, we can say without major analysis that they will be significantly higher.
Undoubtedly, an important issue in rail-sea logistics chains is ferry transport. Unfortunately, this type of transport is carried out only by the ferry terminal of the port of Szczecin –
Świnoujście, which is the main ferry terminal in Poland and one of the most modern in the Baltic Sea. It plays a leading role in handling maritime ferry connections from Poland to Scandinavia, both in terms of the number of ferry calls and the volume of handled cargo flows. In 2004, 1,610,406 tons of cargo were transported by road through the ferry terminal in Świnoujście. Compared to 2003, this represents an increase in transport of 11.1%.
Rail transport via the Świnoujście –
Ystad ferry line has been carried out since 1974, from the moment the shipowner introduced the rail-road ferry “Mikołaj Kopernik”, which has been in operation to this day. Currently, transport is carried out using the ferry “J. Śniadecki” of the shipowner Euroafrica Shipping Lines based in Szczecin. In the event of an increase in rail transport, PKP CARGO SA has the possibility of using the reserve ferries “POLONIA” and “M. Kopernik”. The ferry “J. Śniadecki” has 600 m of tracks on the rail deck and operates daily. It should be mentioned that railway wagons are loaded first, before cars, and do not have to wait for a “free space” on the ferry. The volumes of rail ferry transport and the growth dynamics are shown in charts 7 and 8. After a decline in transport in 2002, thanks to the implementation of new logistics solutions, which are the systems of feeder and delivery trains to Świnoujście, we observe their growth in 2003 and 2004. In 2004, 439,208.1 tons of goods were transported. Compared to 2003, in which 390,421.3 tons were transported, this represents an increase in transport of 11.24%
The article comes from the magazine “Logistyka” 1/2006.