To achieve climate policy objectives, the European Union initiated comprehensive strategies to promote a modal shift in freight transport at an early stage. Notable examples include the first White Paper on transport policy from 1992, the 2011 White Paper on transport and the 2020 Strategy for Sustainable and Smart Mobility as part of the European Green Deal. Despite these efforts, a fundamental change in the modal split has yet to materialize. Road freight transport continues to dominate freight flows in Europe. In 2022, it reached a new peak of approximately 1,915 billion tonne-kilometres, accounting for 77.8% of total freight transport performance. In contrast, rail and inland waterways accounted for only 17% and 5.1%, respectively. These figures suggest that existing policy instruments, such as those promoting combined transport, have not yet realized their full potential and that further action is needed to achieve the intended transition in the transport sector. This thesis is structured into five chapters. Based on a comprehensive literature review, Chapters 2 and 3 examine key influencing factors for modal shift in freight transport and review political measures already implemented at both the European and national levels. Drawing on the Strategic Concept for Unaccompanied Combined Transport by the Federal Ministry for Innovation, Mobility and Infrastructure (2021) as well as the VTI Working Paper by Takman and González-Aregall (2021), ten measures, five regulatory and five financial, are selected for deeper analysis. The empirical part of the thesis, following the methodological framework outlined in Chapter 4, investigates in Chapter 5 the impact of these measures on modal shift in Austria, with a focus on combined transport. The analysis is based on a web-based survey conducted among transport and logistics professionals, resulting in 61 valid responses. Both descriptive and inferential statistical methods are applied to evaluate the data. The results indicate that the impact of political measures is generally perceived as low. Financial incentives are viewed somewhat more favourably, but no clear preference over regulatory instruments emerges. Economic rationales, particularly transport costs, still dominate mode choices. While many companies acknowledge the importance of environmental factors such as the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, economic benefits remain decisive. The study concludes that a sustainable shift towards alternative modes like rail and inland waterway, which are central to this analysis, can only succeed through practical, wellcommunicated and coordinated measures that align with decision-making processes along the transport chain and are associated with minimal administrative burden.
Politische Maßnahmen zur Förderung des Kombinierten Verkehrs in Österreich: Historischer Überblick und Einfluss auf die Verkehrsverlagerung im Güterverkehr
Laresser, F. (Author). 2025
Student thesis: Master's Thesis