Hands-on solution directions modal shift

In the Netherlands, the transport of goods is mainly done by road. Increasing traffic density only makes it increasingly challenging to do so without inconvenience, resulting in more traffic jams and delays. This while we have plenty of alternatives to road transport. In this project, we investigate the practical, often unintended obstacles to the shift to alternative forms of transport (modal shift).

Background

Choosing an alternative mode of transport is also known as modal shift. This could include a shift to transport by inland waterway, rail, pipeline, and/or short sea shipping. Recently, a lot of research has been done into the physical bottlenecks surrounding this modal shift. Examples include waterways that are too shallow (especially during dry periods), limited bridge heights limited lock capacity.

Commissioned by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management (I&W), Ecorys, together with Movares Water, conducted research into the so-called ‘Hands-on solutionrichten modal shift’ programme. This programme focuses on addressing bottlenecks that prevent freight transport principals from realising the modal shift to inland shipping or rail. This is not about the physical bottlenecks but about the practical (often unintended) obstacles in laws and regulations, administrative procedures, market structure and relations, organisation of supervision and perception of the different transport modes.

The starting point of this hands-on approach is a periodic inventory of bottlenecks experienced by shippers and carriers. In cooperation with experts, the government, the business community and knowledge institutes look for solutions to solve these bottlenecks or reduce their hindrance. Implementation processes are agreed for the solutions found, with government and industry jointly responsible for implementation. The need now exists, in addition to the existing action overview, to look for innovative solutions that have not been sufficiently identified so far, but probably offer a lot of potential.

The aim of our research is to identify these innovative hands-on measures and, in line with the existing hands-on programme, translate them into a concrete action plan (what, by whom and when?).

Key findings

We have categorised the formulation of concrete hands-on actions according to 3 types of innovations: digital, social, logistics and technology. For each action, we briefly described what it entails, which party is responsible for further elaboration and implementation, the associated planning, the milestones to be achieved and what resources may be needed. Some key actions were then prioritised based on their impact on triggering the necessary developments, their ‘wake-up’ effect, and the feasibility of implementing them in the short term.

These key actions are:

1. Investigate and realise a possibility to let online tools aimed at more efficient and sustainable (container) transport (e.g. UTURN’s container transport tool) use data in Portbase.
2. Organise living labs with the theme ‘Practical experience data sharing in chain’, focus on ‘Secure digital data traffic/ implementation FDI’.
3. Increase the use of logistics brokers.
4. Connect with human capital developments in the Top Sector Logistics and analyse opportunities for further innovation.
5. Increase the use of both craneable and non-craneable trailers from the point of view of the market.

Want to know more? Then read our full report (in Dutch).