3 Intermodality 86In <strong>the</strong> transport sector, <strong>the</strong> competitive environment that exists between <strong>the</strong> different modes <strong>of</strong> transport (<strong>maritime</strong>or inland water, road, rail and air) leads <strong>the</strong>m to become segmented, which runs counter to integration. Each mode<strong>of</strong> transport benefits from its own specific advantages in terms <strong>of</strong> cost, service, reliability, speed and safety. In thisrespect, pubic monopolies have done very little to fur<strong>the</strong>r integration, even though governments have understood<strong>the</strong> need to do so. The concept <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> intermodal transport chain is <strong>the</strong> result <strong>of</strong> advances in technology, and inparticular information technologies (e.g. Electronic Data Interchange or EDI). The development <strong>of</strong> containertransport during <strong>the</strong> sixties and <strong>the</strong> privatisations, which began in this sector in <strong>the</strong> eighties, signalled <strong>the</strong> startingpoint for intermodality. Major integrated transport agencies now provide « door-to-door » services in such a way that<strong>the</strong> customer no longer has to take account <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> way in which his cargo is handled by different charter companiesusing different modes <strong>of</strong> transport. Only <strong>the</strong> cost and <strong>the</strong> quality <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> service are <strong>of</strong> <strong>importance</strong> to <strong>the</strong> customer.Transport systems encompassing several means <strong>of</strong> transport may be viewed in two ways:o Intermodal transport network: logistically integrated system using two or more modes <strong>of</strong> transport. These sharecertain characteristics with regard to cargo handling, enabling freight (or passengers) to be transferred between<strong>the</strong>se modes <strong>of</strong> transport during <strong>the</strong> journey between <strong>the</strong> point <strong>of</strong> departure and <strong>the</strong> point <strong>of</strong> arrival;o Multimodal transport network: all <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> modes <strong>of</strong> transport providing connections between points <strong>of</strong> departureand arrival. Intermodal transport is not always applicable.The limits to intermodality are imposed by factors <strong>of</strong> time, space, network model, number <strong>of</strong> hubs and connections,as well as <strong>the</strong> type and characteristics <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> convoys and terminals.In an intermodal environment, <strong>the</strong> success <strong>of</strong> containerisation – <strong>the</strong> traffic <strong>of</strong> which is increasing – is based onseveral factors:o manoeuvrability <strong>of</strong> containers;o standardisation <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> means <strong>of</strong> transport (ISO standards);o flexibility <strong>of</strong> use and automated management;o low cost (if compared, for example, to <strong>the</strong> price for bulk shipments);o speed <strong>of</strong> transhipment operations;o ease <strong>of</strong> storage since a container <strong>of</strong>ten constitutes its own store;o safety (very low level <strong>of</strong> cargo loss);o optimal use <strong>of</strong> space (<strong>the</strong> capacity <strong>of</strong> a container ship is three to six times greater than that <strong>of</strong> a traditional cargoship).On <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r hand, infrastructure costs related to this type <strong>of</strong> transport are very high, which limits <strong>the</strong> number <strong>of</strong>terminals that can be set up, especially in developing countries.Throughout <strong>the</strong> Hamburg - Le Havre range, companies now have an extremely wide choice <strong>of</strong> operators within anintermodal environment. Cost and <strong>the</strong> duration <strong>of</strong> transport are <strong>the</strong> first decision-making criteria. O<strong>the</strong>r factors(reliability, safety, etc.) also have a cost dimension. However, <strong>the</strong> technical, organisational and operationalobstacles and those related to market conditions sometimes run counter to this decision-making process.If we set aside <strong>the</strong> individual aspects, it is evident that transport by road, rail and waterways has different costfunctions, given <strong>the</strong> current state <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> market (price <strong>of</strong> fuels, infrastructures and costs associated with <strong>the</strong>ir usage,etc.). Thus, transportation by road turns out to be <strong>the</strong> most competitive means <strong>of</strong> transport for shorter distances(less than 750 km). Rail is <strong>the</strong> cheapest solution for intermediate distances (between 750 and 1,500 km) although inEurope, <strong>the</strong> incompatibility <strong>of</strong> cross-border networks is still a problem 87 . For long distances (more than 1,500 km),<strong>maritime</strong> transport remains <strong>the</strong> most competitive means <strong>of</strong> transport by far.8687Sources: final report <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Services fédéraux des affaires Scientifiques, Techniques et Culturelles (SSTC - ULg) on « Inlandwater transport and its long-term development », Anast, December 2000 and <strong>the</strong> work <strong>of</strong> Pr<strong>of</strong>. Dr. J-P. Rodrigue <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>Department <strong>of</strong> <strong>Economic</strong>s and Geography at H<strong>of</strong>stra University - New York.Different types <strong>of</strong> electrical supply, gauge, etc. These are all problems to which <strong>the</strong> Trans-European Network is trying toprovide medium-term solutions.118 NBB WORKING PAPER No.56 - JUNE 2004
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