The Combined Transport (CT) association UIRR has outlined policy proposals to boost the sector’s capacity for military transports. Boosting the EU capacity for military mobility, the association says, will also have a positive impact on civilian CT.
In its position paper, UIRR explains that European intermodal terminals are safe and secure facilities for transshipment of every type of freight. That makes them key enablers of military transports. Moreover, the association points out that CT operators are capable of organising most military transport with their current equipment, know-how and existing logistics network.
Yet, Europe wants to boost its capacities. For that reason, UIRR has put forward its ideas on how to do that from a CT perspective. Firstly, it wants a clear designation of relevant transshipment terminals for military transports along the four EU military mobility corridors, among which is the Netherlands – Germany – Poland corridor.
Policy tools
Second, in the view of UIRR, those terminals should get priority when bidding for state aid schemes for upgrades. It also wants to update the EU’s Dual-Use Infrastructure Regulation, which specifies requirements for dual-use infrastructure, to cover all unmovable transshipment technologies installed at terminals.
Moreover, CT operators should be recognised in the EU’s Resilience Directive of 2022 as critical entities for organising military transports, and should be incorporated in strategies to enhance their resilience. Lastly, the Combined Transport Directive, Weights and Dimensions Directive, the TSI Telematics Standard, the eFTI Regulation and other policy tools should ensure the “efficient functioning and resilience” of CT operators.
UIRR says that the interests of military mobility overlap in many cases with those of the civilian freight sector. Military logisticians have already been trying to incorporate CT in their operations. In short, the association wants the following measures to boost the capacity of CT to aid military mobility:
- Designate key intermodal terminals along the four military mobility corridors and allocate resources to enhance their capabilities.
- Provide funding to upgrade road and rail last-mile connections at relevant terminals, in line with TEN-T obligations.
- Extend the Dual-Use Infrastructure Regulation to include transshipment equipment as an eligible category for funding.
- Broaden the Resilience Directive to cover Combined Transport operators in their role as authorised applicants for railway infrastructure.
- Include support in Strategic Guidance documents for more and higher-quality freight train paths under the Railway Infrastructure Capacity Management Regulation.
- Ensure freight needs are prioritised in national implementation plans of the TEN-T Guidelines Regulation.
- Revise the Combined Transport Directive and maintain interoperability requirements under the Weights and Dimensions Directive, while integrating Combined Transport needs in TSI Telematics updates and the implementation of the eFTI Regulation.