What can I choose in the calculator?
Rail Freight Transport
Kabelleger / David Gubler, via Wikimedia Commons
IMPACT – What are the impacts of Rail Freight Transport?
Energy system
Reduce final energy demand.
Increase total electricity consumption.
Reduce total diesel / gasoline consumption.
Likely to increase the share of renewable energy sources in the energy mix.
Likely to raise pressure on the grid by increasing electricity demand.
Likely to increase energy independence and energy security.
Environment & Climate
Very likely to reduce global CO2 emissions.
Avoid emissions of harmful pollutants, especially in urban areas.
Reduce noise pollution.
Likely to increase deposited waste.
Society & Economy
Likely to increase the cost of the energy transition.
May improve balance of payments by substituting oil imports by domestic electricity.
Reduce Confederation income from the tax on mineral oil under the current taxation system.
GLOBAL MARKET – What is the trend in Rail Freight Transport in the EU?
In 2011, 37% of freight transport was covered by rail in Switzerland. This is significantly more than the EU-27 average of 19% in that same year. Between 1993 and 2012 the total rail freight transport activity in Switzerland has increased by 33% whereas the total road freight transport activity has increased by 51% (for comparison, the population size has increased by 15% in that same period).[1] At EU-27 level the rail freight transport activity remained constant between 1995 and 2010 whereas the road freight transport activity grew by 38%. [2]
Both Switzerland and the EU-27 have seen a reduction of ~10% in the volume of goods transported by rail between 2008 and 2012. This can be explained by the economic crisis as similar figures are reported for road transport. [1]
DEFINITION / CONSTRAINTS
DEFINITION - What is Rail Freight Transport?
The “Rail freight (%)” slider increases or decreases the quantity of goods (in tonne-kilometre (tkm)) that is transported by rail insteadby trucks.
CONSTRAINTS - What are the key barriers facing Rail Freight Transport deployment?
• The existing infrastructure is reaching its maximum capacity but new infrastructure is increasingly expensive.
• Higher rail freight costs compared to water or road freight are difficult for operators to accept as margins in the transport sector are small.