To face current and future challenges in transalpine transport, a common understanding and close cooperation are crucial. The EUSALP AG4 offers just the right platform to foster this cooperation. At the event in Trieste on 26 September, promoted by the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region in the framework of the Italian Presidency 2019, institutional representatives and key stakeholders discussed the challenges and opportunities for the sustainable development of transport and mobility systems at the macro-regional level in front of more than 100 participants.
Working Together to Overcome Transport Challenges in the Alps
Transport is inseparably linked to the economy as a whole. However, the challenging Alpine geography constrains development and is most vulnerable to environmental impacts.
To overcome these obstacles, the Alpine countries and regions must cooperate and build links.
Likewise, connectivity across the Alpine Region is a major imperative to overcome the constraints to passenger and freight transport and to reach the modal split targets as set out in the EU Transport White Paper of 2011.
To promote intermodality and interoperability to improve efficiency and connectivity in the vulnerable Alpine Region has to be the actions for the solution in the transport sector that is one of the main causes for climate change.
FREIGHT TRANSPORT SESSION
Defining a European Logistics Plan
The following points were highlighted in the subsequent panel discussion:
- The Alpine Region is an important logistic platform located in the heart of Europe; thus, logistics planning must be defined from a European perspective. Also, while an adequate infrastructure system is one of the basic requirements for the modal shift, a common legal framework for transport policy remains a crucial factor. Additionally, challenges such as cumbersome bureaucracy and diverging national regulations must be tackled.
- Maritime trade is expected to increase in the future by 3.8% per year by 2023. These trends imply challenges for the Ports and Terminals also in terms of boosting up infrastructures. Intermodality is key to sustainably develop connectivity in the Alpine Region. Thus, it is important to not only integrate the maritime ports vertically (ports with freight villages), but also to facilitate a well-connected transport network on land (freight villages on the both sides of the Alps).
- Furthermore, it is necessary to establish and maintain close cooperation and communication between all levels along the logistic chain – including terminals, operators, and the public administration as well as forwarding agencies and truck drivers. One example for such tightly knit transport networks is the cooperation along the Brenner corridor.
- The future is a network of air-freight-sea, railway connections between important areas be it ports or be it industrial areas or big cities. Railway system and Port system should be better connected to fully exploit the existing infrastructure and moreover to stop new infrastructures.
- Finally, the continuous economic growth poses challenges to the transport sector that must be met by smart regulation, potent infrastructure systems, efficient intermodal connectivity, and strong cooperation. In addition, innovative solutions including digitalization must be utilized to prepare the transport sector for future challenges.
PASSENGER TRANSPORT SESSION
Making Cross-Border Public Transport More User-Friendly
- Three types of mobility could be considered in order to ensure adequate standards of accessibility:
- Intraregional mobility (preserving the quality of life and the attractiveness of the territory)
- Interregional and Cross-border mobility (intensifying the social-economic cooperation between territories and reducing the costs of cross-border commuting)
- Transit mobility (requiring a decrease of transport externalities and the improvement of multimodal transport-journeys)
- Costs of cross-border railways interoperability - voltage, security and difficulties/limited operability due to different languages - are quite high. The harmonization of different ticketing systems should be further improved.
- The importance of innovative solutions to improve passenger transport in the Alpine Region. For example, the CrossBorder project looked beyond “classic” infrastructure projects and identified new players in mobility and the enormous potential of digitalization. Thus, the aim of a multimodal, integrated information and ticketing system (ITS) was broad consensus and the recently approved Interreg Alpine Space project LinkingAlps will treat this topic over the coming years. Examples from the private sector for already existing solutions include Fairtiq or Whim.
- In connection to ITS, the emerging concept of Mobility as a Service (MaaS) as a way to supply the best tailor-made offers to customers, thus, ultimately reducing private transport was discussed. However, maintaining public transport services in remote areas remains a tough challenge.
- Just as in freight transport, another important issue was the regulatory framework for passenger mobility. Interoperability of the European railway sector still remains a major barrier to more user-friendly transport services and needs to be tackled urgently.
- Finally, economical sustainability and financing are always difficult topics, but it is safe to say that developing public passenger transport will surely be the economical way forward as opposed to the costs associated with high volumes of private transport and the related externalities. In addition to financial investment, macro-regional coordination and agreement could lead to a common mobility vision for passenger mobility in the Alpine Region and beyond.
The following presentations are available in the attachments:
FREIGHT TRANSPORT SESSION
Julián Espina, Project Manager, European Commission - Innovation and Networks Executive Agency (INEA)
Alessandro Panaro, Head of Maritime & Energy Research Area – SRM Italian Research Center for Economic Studies (Intesa San Paolo Banking Group)
PASSENGER TRANSPORT SESSION
Julián Espina, Project Manager, European Commission - Innovation and Networks Executive Agency (INEA)
Oliviero Baccelli, Director of Master in Management and Economy of Transport, Logistic and Infrastructures, Bocconi University Milan and Senior Advisor PTSCLAS
