Promoting inland waterways
Transport by inland waterways can be a cleaner, and sometimes cheaper, alternative for freight than transport by roads. In certain contexts, it is even more energy efficient than railways, another clean alternative for freight.
Despite this, however, modal shares of inland waterways are generally smaller than for roads and railways. Governments can see in the promotion of this mode a tool for meeting greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation goals. Ultimately, the decarbonisation potential of this mode will depend on the way and the context in which it is promoted. Infrastructure investments, as well as wider governance arrangements, are some of the main options that can lead to higher adoption of inland-waterway transport for freight transport. The impacts of governance arrangements are more difficult to assess than those of infrastructure. Yet, they remain essential for promoting modal shift.
Along with investments in inland-waterways infrastructure, the focus should also be on active mitigation measures and innovations such as greener and more sustainable propulsion systems, the use of alternative fuels (reducing both air-pollutant emissions and energy consumption), and new concepts of cargo flows, of logistics and vessels, of River Information Services (RIS) and of automated navigation. New and greener propulsion systems are an increasingly important subject in the sector; to name a few, hydrogen fuel cells, battery-powered propulsion systems and hybrid solutions, cold ironing, post-treatment systems, etc. are currently being developed, tested and implemented as alternatives, alongside the development of efficient vessel design.
The CO2 reduction potential of a modal shift towards inland waterways depends on the distance that will be covered by this mode and the carbon intensity of alternative modes. In the Netherlands, between 2005 and 2014 there was a shift of 2.8% from road transport to inland-waterways transport. For freight transported over distances of 300–500 km, the modal shift reduced emissions in that particular market by around 80%; for distances between 100 and 300 km, CO2 was reduced by around 43%. The impact will also depend on where the modal shift comes from (i.e. roads and/or rails) and on which type of vehicle was used before. For example, the Seine-Paris Nord waterway has been linked to a potential modal shift of 25% from road transport and 75% from rails; in this scenario, road emissions would be mitigated. However, as railway emissions for the corresponding rail segment are lower than those of river transport, emissions could increase by around 12 tonnes of C02 equivalent (tCO2e) each year.
The impact of governance arrangements can be hard to assess. European experience shows that creating international agreements on inland-waterways regulations and standards is required for harnessing the potential of the mode for intra-European freight. However, the impact of these efforts is difficult to measure. Some measurements can give an idea of the potential impact of other governance arrangements. In France, the Lyon Terminal company was created in 1993 to coordinate activities between the Marseille port and its hinterland. In particular, cooperation was achieved with authorities from the Lyon inland port. This increased cooperation contributed to the quadrupling of waterways traffic between 1993 and 2008, from 32 000 twenty-foot equivalents (TEU) in 1993 to 137 000 TEU in 2008.
The costs of promoting inland waterways depend on the policy measure that is being taken into account. In France, the creation of a channel to link several disconnected waterways (Canal Seine Nord) will have an estimated cost of around EUR 4 billion. In the same country, subsidies for waterways operation and maintenance activities cost national authorities around EUR 240 million each year. For freight operators, changing transport mode can entail restructuring enterprise operations. Choosing inland waterways over only road transport can be more cost-effective, but in certain situations – in short distances or in areas that are further away from waterways themselves – costs can be higher.
From a macro perspective, promoting inland waterways as a transport mode can help increase the dynamism of the local economy. From an enterprise perspective, shifting towards inland waterways can reduce operation costs. In France, combining road and inland waterways for freight can be 5–25% cheaper than road-only transport for areas neighbouring the Le Havre-Paris waterway. Cost reductions can be a result of increased fuel efficiency. In Europe, fuel consumption from inland-waterways freight transport is estimated to be three to six times less than that of road transport, and two times lower than that of railway transport.
When it comes to cost, combined inland waterways and road transport can be more expensive than road-only transport for certain situations. For instance, combined freight transport from Le Havre to the Paris region is more costly for trips that are more than 200 km away from inland waterways and from the Le Havre port.
Modal shift can also increase air pollutant emissions if the vehicles for road transport that would otherwise be used had cleaner technologies. In the Danube region, a modal shift of 50% from road to inland waterways freight transport between 2008 and 2014 would have generated 68% more NOx emissions than the baseline if truck vehicles had had clean technologies. Even if no clean vehicle technologies are used, a shift of 50% from road to inland-waterways transport in the Danube area is seen as potentially contributing four times more SO2 emissions.
ITF (2021) Transport Climate Action Directory – Promotion of inland waterways
https://www.itf-oecd.org/policy/promotion-of-inland-waterways
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