Energy and emissions balance of modal shift in freight transport: A case study from the Central European region

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F75081431%3A_____%2F25%3A00002947" target="_blank" >RIV/75081431:_____/25:00002947 - isvavai.cz</a>

Alternative codes found

RIV/61989100:27360/25:10260410

Result on the web

<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590198225003355" target="_blank" >https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590198225003355</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

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Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Energy and emissions balance of modal shift in freight transport: A case study from the Central European region

Original language description

Freight transport is a major contributor to energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions in the European Union. Despite European Union strategies promoting a modal shift from road to rail, road freight still dominates in Central Europe. This paper addresses the gap in comparative analyses of energy intensity and environmental impact between road and rail freight by proposing a detailed calculation methodology. The approach combines direct measurement of electric locomotive consumption in Austria, Germany, and the Czech Republic with operational data from road freight transport. Specific energy consumption, CO2 emissions, and transport performance are evaluated and compared using real transport flows in the Czech Republic. The results confirm that shifting 9.75 % of freight from road to rail can reduce energy consumption by 85.3 % and emissions by 75.7 %, equivalent to annual savings of 212 million kWh and 59,000 tonnes of CO2. Although the case study focuses on the Czech Republic, the proposed methodology is also applicable to other Central European countries with similar transport flows, energy mixes, and infrastructure. The results therefore provide a relevant framework for the broader region, which faces comparable challenges in the decarbonization of freight transport.

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

J_imp - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database

CEP classification

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OECD FORD branch

50703 - Transport planning and social aspects of transport (transport engineering to be 2.1)

Project

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Continuities

V - Vyzkumna aktivita podporovana z jinych verejnych zdroju

Publication year

2025

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives

ISSN

2590-1982

e-ISSN

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Volume of the periodical

34

Issue of the periodical within the volume

2025

Country of publishing house

GB - UNITED KINGDOM

Number of pages

14

Pages from-to

1-14

UT code for WoS article

001586823400001

EID of the result in the Scopus database

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