COMBINE

COMBINE aims at enhancing the share of Combined Transport in the Baltic Sea Region (BSR) in order to make transport more efficient & environmentally friendly.

The challenge of CT is the efficient & competitive combination of transport modes. This results in additional handling efforts that must be compensated by lower transport cost of the main leg and last mile of the transport chain. The longer the main leg and the shorter last mile, the more competitive CT is in general. In the BSR due to rural structures (spatially scattered transport volumes/long last mile), comparatively low transport volumes (especially CT-capable volumes) and a long tradition of pure road transport, CT can hardly compete with road transport & thus the share of CT is low. This results in inexperience & insufficient knowledge about CT amongst policy and industry & thus low exploitation of the CT potential.

COMBINE will overcome these challenges. New technologies regarding main leg transport, terminal handling and last mile operation as well as modern and efficient transport organisation are opportunities for the BSR. It is vital to use the benefits of each mode and to optimize each part of the transport chain where appropriate to inhibit pure road transport.

The project will be attended by fourteen partners from eight European countries – Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland and Sweden. UIRR is the work package leader of WP5 on framework conditions.

Framework conditions for supporting CT will be analysed & the suitability of EU regulations for the BSR examined. Recommendations for BSR specific funding & non-financial support programmes – considering implementation of new technologies - will be presented to national ministries and the EU.