Abstract

The article deals with the development of the new paradigm of the European rail freight system predominantly suitable for the feeder lines (market niches). Taking into consideration the so far adopted legal solutions of the EU Commission for internationalisation (liberalisation) of the European railway system, the concept of the new rail freight model was developed in order to contribute to the increase of the quality, as well as to the growth of the volume of the rail freight services in Europe. Based on the findings about the disadvantages of the existing rail freight paradigm, the new solution consisting of the three interrelated and interconnected subsystems: institutional, technical/technological and organisational, is proposed. New liberalised access to the entire European rail infrastructure network will increase the competition and most probably attract new railway freight service providers. The introduction of the suggested innovative solutions in form of small, self-propelled, bi-directional train formation that can be automatically coupled and decoupled and equipped with the innovative loading and unloading equipment (enabling loading/unloading operations wherever the truck can stay parallel to the train), is to be expected predominantly on the feeder lines (market niches) of the European railways. Članek obravnava predlog novega modela železniškega tovornega prometa, ki je prvenstveno primeren za stranske železniške proge (za tržne niše) na evropskih železnicah. Upoštevajoč sprejete pravne ukrepe Evropske komisije za pospešeno internacionaliziranje (liberalizacijo) evropskega železniškega sistema, smo razvili modelno zasnovo novega možnega sistema tovornega prometa, ki bi dvignil kvaliteto železniških storitev in prispeval k rasti obsega prepeljanega tovora na evropskih žcleznicah. Na osnovi analize slabosti prevladujočega obstoječega modela železniškega tovornega prometa v Evropi smo za oblikovanje novega združili spoznanja iz treh medsebojno povezanih in soodvisnih podsistemov: institucionalnega (pravnega), tehnično-tehnološkega in organizacijskega. Nov svoboden dostop na celotno evropsko železniško infrastrukturno omrežje bo gotovo povečal konkurenco in pritegnil nove ponudnike železniških prevoznih storitev. Realno je pričakovati uvedbo (novega modela) združenih parcialnih inovativnih rešitev obliki kratkih, v obe smeri voznih vlakov z lastnim pogonom, ki se lahko samodejno priklapljajo in razklapljajo in so opremljeni z inovativo nakladalno/razkladalno opremo, ki lahko izvaja operacije natovarjanja in raztovarjanja kjerkoli na železniški progi lahko vzporedno stojita vlak in tovornjak. Nov model bo prišel do izraza predvsem na stranskih železniških progah (pokrivanje tržnih niš) evropskih železnic.

Abstract

new European concept - Green Corridors - has been introduced to the EU member states defining them as long-distance freight transport corridors where advanced technology and co-modality are used to achieve energy efficiency and reduce environmental impact. Key objectives of the thesis are the development of the European concept of Green Corridor regarding the theory of sustainable transport and EU transport policy, the implementation level of the concept within the East-West Transport Corridor and the relation of a’ greener’ East-West corridor to sustainable transport solutions in the Baltic Sea Region as well as towards more sustainable transport system in the EU. The analysis of the sustainable transport systems and the concept of green transport corridors have been applied to the East-West Transport Corridor in the BSR through the trans-national cooperation project EWTC II, as a case study with a review of EU documents and academic literature as well as research into the documentation of the project.