development of small-scale intermodal freight transportation in a ...

shipment terminals. The aim is to avoid marshalling that involves waste of time and money
as well as an increased risk of damage.
Rolling highway is a particular form of intermodal transport where complete lorry combinations
are driven on board low-built railway wagons. The arrangement is today used for
overcoming physical barriers such as the Alps and the English Channel, but as many of the
costs – such as capital costs for the lorry and salary for the driver – remain to be borne by
the hauliers, it is not regarded as a large-scale future solution for European intermodalism.
The low net to tare weight ratio is another restraining factor.
The combination of transportation modes in intermodal transport implies that many actors
are involved. The European intermodal market is traditionally divided between companies
based upon rail and road transport respectively. Considering regulated monopolies and the
historic scope of concessions, the borderlines between market segments have been drawn
according to types of ITU and geographical markets. Due to transport policy deregulation
in the European Union (EU), this practice is now diminishing.
The classic role of the railway companies has been to sell rail haulage between the intermodal
transshipment terminals. They also operate terminals and supply rail wagons. In addition,
the railway companies have owner interests in many of the other companies needed
for producing intermodal transport services.
When the container was introduced in shipping during the 1960’s the railway companies
founded container transport companies in order to offer complementing land transport. Intercontainer
(now Intercontainer-Interfrigo, ICF) was founded for international transport
and companies like German Transfracht and French Compagnie Nouvelle de Cadres (CNC)
were founded for domestic transport. Swedish State Railways (SJ) formed a special business
unit within its freight division that has later been transformed into the limited company
Rail Combi AB. Today, Rail Combi AB is the principal of all intermodal terminals in Sweden
and offers a wide range of intermodal transport services using its own rail wagons. International
transport is offered in co-operation with other companies.
Forwarders and hauliers have formed own national intermodal transport companies such as
Kombiverkehr in Germany, Novatrans in France and Swe-Kombi in Sweden. The original
purpose of the organisations was to organise the transport services that the road-based
transport companies had concessions for. Now in the post-regulation days, they still arrange
intermodal services but their role as a strong counterpart to the railways in negotiations 9 is
9 Since most hauliers and forwarders are Small- or Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs), they have perceived
that need to join forces before approaching the large national railways.
5