Considering the fact that most end products are carried in containers and that these represent the main means facilitating intermodality, it is estimated that in the 21st century the intermodal transport, next to technological advantages of the transshipment systems, will become the foundation stone of international trade, believed to be the most efficient means of managing the “door-to-door” international transport activity.
This is due to the fact that intermodal transport permits the advantageous and route-dedicated combination of the advantages specific to each and every means of transport, such as the flexibility of road transport, the increased capacity of railway transport, the low costs of naval transport and the superior speed of air transport, points out the Romanian Intermodal Transport Strategy 2020, published in May by the Romanian Ministry of Transport.
Intermodal transport in Europe is mainly characterised by combined transport operations (railway/road). In 2009, the volume of freight intermodal transport (railway/road) was estimated at 16,573,316 TEUs and the number of containers, including mobile units, carried on railways amounted to 12,015,249. In Romania, the freight volume shipped in containers in combined traffic on railways represents an average 4% of the total volume of goods carried on railways during 2005-2009. In the first 8 months of 2010, the freight traffic in intermodal transport units carried out by the national freight transport operator, CFR Marfă, represents 7.7% of the total freight carried by the operator. The traffic carried out through the terminals of the national railway freight transport operator represents only 1%.
The strategy on the development of intermodal transport in Romania deals with the problem of the under-financing of the railways, the lack of funds dedicated to the railway infrastructure maintenance, as well as the acute problem of the lack of fund granted to CFR Marfă for the maintenance of the 25 intermodal terminals that it owns, all these leading to a drop in the freight traffic, triggering the customer’s mistrust in choosing combined transport.
Thus, the strategy elaborated by the Romanian Ministry of Transport accentuates several proposals for the construction and modernisation of intermodal terminals. “The location of the future terminals results from the analysis of the Romanian transit routes, representing the potential domestic needs which could be met during the transiting of the national territory”, the strategy points out.
Timişoara Area could be connected to the railway priority axis no. 22 and the road priority axis no. 7 accessing Romania through Curtici/Nădlac and permitting the share of loads between the two means of transport (railway/road), while Bucharest Area (west) is connected to the A1 motorway (Bucharest- Piteşti), on the priority axis no. 7.
Also, Constanţa Area has a very high road, rail and air connection potential with Bucharest on Bucharest-Constanţa section, and the connection with Constanţa Seaport should be more efficiently exploited, the port being considered a gateway for freight traffic from Europe to Asia and vice-versa.
Moreover, Giurgiu/Olteniţa Area is connected to the railway routes Bucharest-Giurgiu and Videle-Giurgiu (pan-European corridor IX), to the express road Bucharest-Giurgiu and has the advantage of Giurgiu-Ruse bridge across the Danube and that on the pan-European transport corridor no. VII.
Braşov Area is another point of interest on Romania’s future intermodal map, as it is located right in the middle of the country on the priority axis no. 22 and the pan-European corridor IV on Bucharest – Ploieşti – Braşov – Sibiu section. It is an area with a high development potential being proposed for the extension of the TEN-T network on the Craiova – Piteşti –Braşov – Bacău section.
Last but not least, Suceava Area is extremely interesting for the logisitics network, as it is located on the pan-European corridor IX, on the Siret –Suceava – Bacău – Mărăşeşti – Tişiţa section and at the same time proposed for the extension of the TEN-T network on the Petea – Satu Mare –Baia Mare – Dej – Suceava – Rădăuţi – Prut section due to the possibility to connect it to the road, railway and air transport systems.
Meeting the objective of the national intermodal freight transport system development will contribute directly to increasing Romania’s accessibility by decongesting national roads and protecting road infrastructure, promoting the balanced development of all means of transport and improving the quality and the efficiency of services, reducing gas emissions and minimising the negative impact on the environment.
The development of an intermodal transport system in Romania targets a transport share of at least 40% of the volume of goods carried in intermodal transport units on Romania’s territory by 2020.
Consequently, by 2020, the development of an efficient intermodal transport system in Romania will help create more jobs – over 140,000 with a contribution to the gross domestic product of over EUR 10 Billion, to incomes of around EUR 1.6 Billion from charges and interests, as well as to increased exports.
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