The Urban Context of Intermodal Road-Rail Transport – Threat or Opportunity for Modal Shift?

Until recently, research did not pay much attention to the implications for intermodal road-rail transport (IRRT) arising from its urban context, and urban freight and IRRT are still handled as separate policy concerns. This paper examines the relationship between urban transport and IRRT with the goal of identifying possible actions on a local level to improve both the competitiveness and environmental benefits of rail freight. Based on a literature review of the stakeholders’ perspectives on urban freight transport, a framework for sustainable urban freight transport is developed and applied on IRRT. The results show that the urban context is a threat for further growth of rail freight since an increasing transport demand faces capacity constraints in urban areas. Local authorities can play a key role in enabling the required public-private cooperation on a local and regional level by involving all stakeholders in the strategic land-use and transport planning processes.