Pallets on the inland waterways

The released policy-supporting paper Pallets on the inland waterways is written by Koen Mommens and Cathy Macharis. This policy paper contains a feasibility analysis for a modal shift of palletized goods to the inland waterways. Therefore, a location analysis model (LAMBTOP) was created, which enables to determine the optimal hub locations, as well as their optimal number, their turnover, and the economic- and CO2-savings which can be obtained by their implementation. An analysis was performed on the bases of ADSEI Transport data 2010. Two main findings arise from this analysis. The optimal hub locations are the first important result. The private and public sector need this information to turn their modal shift concept to a success. Furthermore, it has to be noticed that the most optimal hub locations are mostly situated in or near of Belgian cities. By consequence, the concept can be combined with a concept of sustainable city distribution. The second major finding is that the modal shift of palletized goods is an economic realizable concept. Additional cost savings are made when including external costs or by broadening the geographical scope to the neighbouring countries.