Possibilities of Using Inland Navigation to Improve Efficiency of Urban and Interurban Freight Transport with the Use of the River Information Services (RIS) System—Case Study

Abstract

Inland navigation is hardly ever used to transport cargo in cities. In most urban areas, it is performed almost exclusively via road transport, with the virtual exclusion of rail and inland transport. Research and implementation projects in several European cities have shown that employing inland navigation is a viable alternative for road transport in urban areas. The research involved a case study of transporting the same number of 40-foot containers by inland waterway and road and then comparing the results in terms of transport time, transport costs, and carbon dioxide emissions between two metropolitan areas in Poland. The article shows that River Information Services (RIS) system can contribute to improving freight transport efficiency not only on longer routes, but also in urban and inter-urban conditions. The findings were that inland shipping is much cheaper and more environmentally friendly, but transport takes much longer and is not always possible due to insufficient waterway infrastructure. The paper can be used as a road map to proceed with new approach to planning urban and inter-urban logistics, with the use of inland navigation supported by the RIS system. The study delivers evidence that the main benefits of using RIS for urban logistics are: optimization of the cargo route, improved supervision and control of cargo transport, optimization of inter-branch transport, optimization of the use of fleet, more efficient use of technical infrastructure of waterways, combination of many recipients/senders into one transport, and reduction of administrative barriers.

River Information Services (RIS) as a Τool to Ιmprove Poland’s Position in the European Logistic System

“…Additionally, the use of inland shipping for the transport of goods between the main industrial centres of the country would reduce transport costs, including external costs, and would contribute to the achievement of the transport objectives of the European Union, which is in line with outcomes of other studies (Durajczyk and Drop, 2021;Konings, 2007;The World Bank, 2018).…”

An Integrated Approach to an Assessment of Bottlenecks for Navigation on Riverine Waterways

“…The impact of depth limitations is significantly noticeable in shallow water, influencing the vessel's behaviour [63]. As pointed out by Durajczyk [64], the right water level is crucial for navigational conditions, influenced by clearances under bridges, water speed, manoeuvring of the ship, etc.…”

Modeling the impact of the River Information Services Directive on the Performance of inland navigation in the ARA Rhine Region

“…These solutions include an easier access to operators, improvements on the overall efficiency of the supply chain and bundling of multiple shipments. Verberght, Rashed, van Hassel, & Vanelslander Modeling the impact of the River Information Services Directive on the Performance of inland navigation in the ARA Rhine Region Advantages of RIS for inland waterway freight transport, are also recognized by Durajczyk and Drop (2021) by their research on the potential application of IWT between Polish cities and the role of River Information Services (RIS) as facilitator. They conclude that RIS enables inland navigation to be fully integrated into the intermodal supply chains in urban agglomerations and allows for better planning of urban freight transport.…”

“…an increase in growth of cargo transported via inland waterways) due to a better integration of inland navigation in the logistics chain (Ten Broeke et al, 2001;Muilerman, 2006;). This can also happen in urban contexts (Durajczyk et al, 2021). RIS are said to contribute to traffic management and to reduce waiting times at locks and terminals.…”