Sep 15 2022
5 critical points for European intermodal transport
Intermodal transportation is frequently described as a cornerstone for the green transition. The rail sector uses it as a flagship concept in terms of sustainability, efficiency and competitiveness to long-distance trucking and sea transport. Yet, intermodal transport suffers from low punctuality and effectiveness, creating trust issues for customers and shippers.
Too many expectations, lack of communication, or insufficient support by policy and decision-makers? What troubles the intermodal supply chain more? In the list below, you can find 5 points of concern and future development as shared during a panel discussion with Halina Bajczuk (PKP Cargo), Robert Baan (Dow Chemical) and Martin Hubenak (Port of Antwerp) at the RailFreight Summit Poland 2022.
1. Shippers are still unhappy and turning to road transport: Robert Baan from Dow Chemical explained how much manufacturers and shippers miss being included in discussions about intermodal transport. “We want to abandon roads and use intermodal supply chains because we have green goals,” he said. However, they need to consider their customers who, in the end, care about delivery times and balanced costs-just like every business. The thorns of intermodal transport can be summed up in these two demands. “We want to use intermodal but cannot because we want good services for our customers that we cannot reach. Customers demand a return to the road,” highlighted Baan.
2. Bad communication is the core issue: “We do not miss reliability on operations but communication. Many operators are not communicating when issues occur,” said Martin Hubenak. “Problems are always there; we expect cooperation between all factors to improve them,” said Baan. In the end, the delivery time is a metric that matters to manufacturers. “We do not expect to avoid delays, but we expect the shipment to arrive on the latest communicated delivery time, or at least even if it doesn’t, we need to know it,” said Baan pointing out that communication on the intermodal supply chain could be disastrous. Read more
Source: RAILFREIGHT.COM