A study of the economic influence of containerisation on transport systems : report of the Twenty-first Round Table on Transport Economics, held at Paris on 1st and 2nd February 1973 ...

80 Pages·1974·1.256 MB·English

by  OECD

ECONOMIC RESEARCH CENTRE
A STUDY OF THE ECONOMIC
INFLUENCE
OF CONTAINERISATION
ON TRANSPORT SYSTEMS
EUROPEAN CONFERENCE OF MINISTERS OF TRANSPORT
PARIS 1974
ECONOMIC RESEARCH CENTRE
REPORT OF
THE TWENTY-FIRST ROUND TABLE
ON TRANSPORT ECONOMICS
Held in Paris on 1st and 2nd February, 1973
on the following topic:
A STUDY OF THE ECONOMIC
INFLUENCE
OF CONTAINERISATION
ON TRANSPORT SYSTEMS
EUROPEAN CONFERENCE OF MINISTERS OF TRANSPORT
7irie? European Conference ofMinisters ofTransport (ECMT) was
instituted by a Protocol signedat Brussels on 17th October, 1953. It
comprises the Ministers of Transport of the following 18 countries:
Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy,
Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzer¬
land, Turkey, United Kingdom and Yugoslavia (Observers: Canada,
Finland, Japan, United States).
The purposes ofthe ECMT are:
to take whatever measures may be necessary to achieve, at
general or regional level, the maximum use and most rational
development of European inland transport of international
importance;
to co-ordinate andpromote the activities ofInternational Orga¬
nisations concerned with European inland transport (rail, road,
navigable ways), taking into account the work ofsupranational
authorities in thisfield.
ECMT publications are marketed by the Sale of Publications
departmentoftheOECD,2,rueAndre-Pascal,75775PARISCEDEX16.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
LIST OP PARTICIPANTS (cid:9) 5
A STUDY OF THE ECONOMIC INFLUENCE OF CONTAINERISATION
ON TRANSPORT SYSTEMS (cid:9) 7
by Dr. Stewart JOY
SUMMARY OF THE DISCUSSION (cid:9) 33
(Round Table debate on the report)
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LIST OF PARTICIPANTS
K.W. STAEHLE, Dipl.-Ing. (Chairman)
Hauptabteilung Wirtschaftsforschung
Battelle-Institut e.V.
Postfach 900160
6000 FRANKFURT AM MAIN 90 (Germany)
B. WARNER (Rapporteur
Chief of Economic & Marketing Services representing
National Freight Corporation Mr. JOY)
215, Great Portland Street
LONDON WIN 6BD (United Kingdom)
I. DE LA CIERVA
Ingeniero Naval
Jefe de la Division de Organizacion
Consejo Superior de Transportes Terrestres
Ministerio de Obras Publicas
MADRID-3 (Spain)
A. GALHAUT
Adjoint au Chef de la Division des Etudes
et de la prevision Economique
Ministere des Transports
244, Boulevard Saint-Germain
75007 PARIS (France)
H. GARNETT
Senior Research Consultant
The Economic Intelligence Unit Ltd. (EIU)
Spencer House
27, St. James's Place
LONDON SW1A INT (United Kingdom)
J. L. HERNANDEZ PENALVER
Jefe de la Unidad Operativa de Contenedores
RENFE
Paseo del Rey, 32
MADRID-8 (Spain)
Dr. V. K0LARI<5
Profesor Univerziteta Beograd
Directeur de 1'Institut de l'Economie de Transport
Bulevar Revolucije 104
BEOGRAD (Jugoslavia)
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Professor H. LINDAHL
Dean, Dept. Head
Transportation and Logistics
Chalmers University of Technology
402 20 G0TEB0RG 5 (Sweden)
Regierungsdirektor G. MAUE (Observer)
Bundesverkehrsministerium
Sternstrasse 100
5300 BONN (Germany)
Professor Ir G.C. MEEUSE
Technische Hogeschool Delft
Afdellng der Werktulgbouwkunde
Transporttechniek
Mekelweg 2
DELFT (Netherlands)
E. RANITZSCH, Dipl.-Volkswirt
Studiengesellschaft fur den
Kombinierten Verkehr e.V (SGKV)
Unterlindau 21-29
6, FRANKFURT (Main) 1 (Germany)
A. RUHL
Director of Economics and Planning
Directoraat-Generaal van het Verkeer
Ministerie van Verkeer en Waterstaat
Plesmanweg 1-6
S-GRAVENHAGE (Netherlands)
E. ZUQUETE, Ingenieur
Chef de Service
C.P.- Caminhos de Ferro Portugueses
Estacao de St. Alolonia
LISBOA-2 (Portugal)
Secretariat : A. DE WAELE
A. RATHERY
6 -
A STUDY OF THE ECONOMIC INFLUENCE OF
CONTAINERISATION ON TRANSPORT SYSTEMS
Dr. Stewart JOY
Chief Economist
British Railways Board

INTRODUCTION1)
High capacity containers(2) have been the most significant develop¬
ment in merchandise transport since the invention of the motor truck.
But despite the early promise of the container in resolving the road/
rail interchange problem, progress of the "Container revolution" has
fallen below many early expectations. This slow fulfilment of early
promise has been experienced both in the deep-sea maritime operations
and in the inland container networks of the railways. This paper is
concerned primarily with the inland movements, but as the traffic volumes
achieved are largely dependent upon the attractions of the method for the
deep-sea "haul", we must also take note of the difficulties in that
sphere.
Whilst it is not intended to provide a history of the container
revolution to date, a study of the reasons why the rate of development
of the method on the pioneering railway systems has been restricted in
the past will provide useful guidance on the problem areas for other
systems in the future. In studying the more fully developed container
systems (in particular, their traffic mixes and the way they have grown),
we may be able to identify likely boundary conditions of the rail con¬
tainer's competitive advantage vis-a-vis the motor-truck. In "inland"(3)
1) Much of the background material for the preparation of this paper
was gained while I was co-operating with Mr. Bernard Warner in the
w£iting of a paper on the same subject for the 1971 IRCA/UIC Congress
/.see Warner and Joy (I97lj7« Matters of opinion expressed herein are
not necessarily those of the British Railways Board.
2) This paper adopts the definition of containers used in paragraph 5
of ECMT CM(69)9, (1969): "... these are generally of light-weight
alloy/steel construction and approximate to I.S.O. standard dimen¬
sions of 8' x 8' profile and 10', 20', 30' and 40' length ... The
most important characteristics of these containers lie in their
standard size, which permits ready transfer from one mode or" trans¬
port to another and enables them to be carried on all European rail¬
ways."
3) "Inland" movements are those between an origin and destination with¬
in a rail network; "maritime" movements either begin or end at a
transfer from or to a ship, and are of two clearly defined types:
"deep-sea" which are intercontinental voyages, and "short-sea".
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