Freight modal shift to inland waterways: evaluating transferability of transport policies between Europe and Asia using bayesian best-worst method

Inland Waterway Transport (IWT) has been suggested as an imperative solution for highly congested and polluting freight transport by trucks. Countries with access to navigable waterways, especially those in Asia or Europe, are facing numerous limitations and challenges in enabling a IWT modal shift. This study identifies and evaluates potential barriers to the implementation of IWT and makes a contribution to the literature three-fold: (i) quantifying the complex inter-relationships between barriers using Bayesian best-worst method; (ii) investigating how barriers differ across various stakeholders in the freight system, such as shippers, receivers, logistics providers and port authorities, and (iii) examines how policies need to be nuanced in differing contexts such as Europe and Asia. The findings revealed that in Europe, insufficient waterway depth and inadequate maintenance are the primary barriers to shifting freight to IWT. In Asia, high initial costs for infrastructure and a shortage of vessels are the most significant barriers. Sensitivity analysis further highlighted the critical importance of these barriers, emphasizing the need for targeted investment and policy measures to effectively promote the modal shift to inland waterway transport. The paper serves as first-of-its-kind evidence for designing and implementing targeted policy measures that can overcome contextualized barriers faced by various stakeholders in the freight system.