Prioritising green and safe transport is vital if Europe is to become the first climate-neutral continent by 2050.
Rail, in particular, has proven to be exceptionally sustainable and safe. It accounts for just 0.4 % of total greenhouse gas emissions from EU transport and has consistently reduced emissions and energy consumption since 1990.
However, rail is not suitable for every journey and when moving goods it often makes sense to use a mix of transportation types.
This is why EU-funded projects are focusing more and more on reducing the environmental impacts of various forms of transport and maximising their synergies, making it easier to switch between them.
Announced in September, the five finalists in this year’s REGIOSTARS topic of the year – Enhancing green mobility in the regions: European Year of Rail 2021 – represent the diversity of regional investments in sustainable transport. Each project is a leading example of transport stakeholders working together to make an impact that can be easily replicated elsewhere.
DRYPORT
Moving freight goods on to and from ships, which can hold upwards of 18 000 containers, is a huge challenge. It impacts the environment and can affect public health and well-being when goods from seaports have to pass through populated areas.
Since 2018, this Interreg North Sea Region project has explored and promoted the concept of dry ports – smart inland terminals connected to ports via rail or waterways. Transporting cargo inland in this way can help to alleviate road congestion, noise and pollution, while reducing the carbon footprint of freight.
The project helped to establish two dry ports – in Sweden and the Netherlands – that are linked by rail shuttles to major seaports and depots in neighbouring countries. It also supported dry ports in Belgium and the UK.
Judging by the project’s successes so far, the dry port concept is easy to replicate across Europe.
EMOTIONWay
A sustainable mobility network on the border between Italy and Austria has made it easier to get around using bicycles, buses and trains. The Eastern Alps Cycleway Network (Rete Ciclovie Alpi Orientali-Recao or ReCAO), co-funded by Interreg Italy-Austria, includes 975 kilometres of railway lines.
New rail services have been launched that use historic steam engines and a travel planner has been developed to provide real-time information on trains and buses.
While the project was originally developed to improve tourism services and promote the region’s hiking routes, many residents are also taking the opportunity to explore their own region. A survey found that, on average, 71 % of the network’s travellers accessed locations they had not previously visited.
A transregional database will continue to be updated after the project finishes in 2021 and will provide information to strengthen the service.
North-West Multimodal Transport Hub
A historic railway station has been renovated in Derry/Londonderry, Northern Ireland, and now serves as an integrated transport hub for the surrounding area. The upgraded station can accommodate more train services and is well-served by buses and cycle routes that connect the city with Ireland.
The project prioritised involving the local community in revitalising the station. By encouraging people to leave their cars and use sustainable modes of transport, this Interreg United Kingdom-Ireland project is helping to reduce pollution and improve travellers’ fitness. Electric vehicles can also be recharged at the station.
TRAILS
Like DRYPORT, this Interreg Spain-France-Andorra (POCTEFA) project aimed to make freight transport more efficient and sustainable. It focused specifically on goods travelling between France and Spain – a sizeable volume as around 13 000 heavy goods vehicles cross the border every day.
Launched in 2017, TRAILS increased the number of rail freight links between the two countries. It also established several innovations to encourage SMEs to use rail for freight. More trains are now being used to transport several types of products, including perishable products such as food and drink.
Thanks to the project’s activities, an average of 49 230 trucks a year have been taken off the roads.
TRANSPORTE A PEDIDO
This pioneering mobility service in Portugal’s Médio Tejo region offers an innovative transport solution for a predominantly rural area that is sparsely populated with an ageing population.
Launched in 2013, the service now offers 70 routes – totalling 9 500 kilometres – which is serviced by taxis and municipality vehicles that collect passengers from designated stops. On average, 1 200 people use the service every month.
By connecting these communities with rail services and bus networks, Transporte a Pedido has significantly improved mobility in an affordable way. It has proved to be highly sustainable and has since been replicated elsewhere in Portugal.
On track for success
Speakers from all five projects participated in an online workshop during the 19th European Week of Regions and Cities. They discussed their successes on safety and sustainability – for multimodal transport, as well as rail – and shared many insights with the audience.
‘Interreg funding was the final piece in the jigsaw,’ said Timothy Weir, senior project manager on the North-West Multimodal Transport Hub. ‘What we now have is a destination. I’ve met people who walked down for a cup of coffee, to sit in the building and look over the river.’
Dirk Harmsen, project manager on DRYPORT, stated: ‘We proved the concept, and it is applicable in many other countries. 50 % of the goods at the port of Gothenburg are now transported by rail. In Sweden, 200 new jobs were created.’
Luciana Pereira, mobility management specialist on Transporte a Pedido said: ‘An alternative and flexible transport model has been developed which did not exist anywhere else in the country. This system only requires 10 % of the vehicle kilometres that would be necessary with conventional public transport by bus.’
‘We have taken around 162 000 trucks off the road,’ explained Carles Miralpeix i Llorach, technician on TRAILS. ‘The main point of the project is to focus on intermodality. Using three or four ways of transport can be good for the sending of goods.’
‘Interreg has to be the starting point and not the end of a project,’ said Sandra Sodini, director on EMOTIONWay. ‘The network will be safer and will be monitored by the regions and the competent authorities.’
The winners of the REGIOSTARS Awards will be announced in December 2021.
Whoever wins, it is clear that all of these projects have contributed to making it easier, safer and cleaner for people and goods to move around Europe.
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