INTERCONNECTION BETWEEN SHORT AND LONG-DISTANCE TRANSPORT NETWORKS

funded by the EU 7th Framwork Programme

Duration: June 2009 to June 2011.

Contact: Christiane Bielefeldt

Involved TRI members: Helen Condie, Gordon Wilmsmeier

Budget: 1.5 million Euro

Lead Partner:

• Edinburgh NAPIER UNIVERSITY TRI, United Kingdom

Partners:

• MCRIT S.L. MCR, Spain
• MKMETRIC GESELLSCHAFT FÜR SYSTEMPLANUNG MBH MKM, Germany
• TETRAPLAN A/S, TET, Denmark
• TRT TRASPORTI E TERRITORIO, TRT, Italy
• UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS, ITS, United Kingdom
• UNIWERSYTET GDANSKI, Poland

Website: www.interconnect-project.eu

 

Motivation and General Objectives

This project is concerned with the role of local and regional interconnections in the context of longer distance passenger journeys. It starts from the premise that, with the continuing increase in trip length in interregional travel, effective interconnection between trip legs will become a necessary feature of a growing proportion of passenger journeys, particularly of those which ontribute most to the regional and national economies.

The topic has particular relevance at the European level because the European Transport Networks’ role as integrated international networks is compromised by poor interconnectivity and because the next generation of European transport policies (for the Transport White Book 2010-2020 revision and TEN-T update) will have to be sensitive to the differences between short, medium and long-term transport markets and the market advantages of each transport mode. In this context, a realistic assessment of intermodal opportunities is a key ingredient to future policy development.

Effective interconnection requires the provision of integrated networks and services which are attractive to potential users and this is likely to require co-operation between a range of authorities and providers in the public and private sectors and may necessitate a wider vision than might otherwise prevail. Moreover, the creation of effective interconnection may  sometimes conflict with the priorities of authorities and providers who have hitherto be concerned solely with serving a
local constituency.

The project addresses the potential for greater efficiency and reduced environmental impact of passenger transport by judicious encouragement of integration, co-operation and, where appropriate, competition in the provision of these local connections. Thus the project encompasses physical characteristics of the network, characteristics of the modes, the coordination of operators as well as integration, and the cohesiveness of multi-modal networks.

The particular focus of INTERCONNECT are those journeys which might benefit from more effective interconnection between different modes and services, and on those situations where effective interconnection is currently hampered by institutional barriers, lack of investment, or failure to innovate. By identifying examples of good practice from Europe and elsewhere, the project will show how these situations could benefit from a more enlightened approach.

It is apparent that regulatory frameworks, patterns of ownership and franchising in place in many EC countries can stifle effective competition and sometimes stand in the way of effective cooperation. At the same time there are examples of very effective competition, co-operation and integration – sometimes apparently succeeding without any change in regulatory environment.

The question therefore arises as to what are the necessary and sufficient conditions for success. The “solution” to current examples of poor interconnectivity, whether caused by inadequate infrastructure, poor integration or ineffective competition, may come from several sources. For example, they might require:

• provision of new or improved infrastructure or services (notably of new multi-modal interchange facilities, but perhaps also of specialist distribution networks with local hubs, dedicated feeder services, etc);

• removal of barriers to effective competition (e.g. monopolistic ownership or franchising of infrastructure or services, market domination by established operators, inappropriate barriers to the entry of new competitors, etc);

• removal of barriers to effective integration of public transport services (e.g. of restrictions designed to avoid anti-competitive practices and which limit or forbid the joint planning or marketing of services or ticketing initiatives);

• encouragement of integration of services (e.g. by means of joint ticketing, integrated timetabling, sharing real-time information on service status, joint marketing of integrated services, etc);

• removal of barriers to consistent travel information across modes;

• harmonisation of infrastructure pricing policies to remove barriers to effective competition in the international travel market (e.g. by reducing the heterogeneity of rail track access charges);

• removal of restrictions on the inclusion, in appraisal frameworks, of benefits which flow from integration (e.g. to allow community benefits and regional competitiveness to appear in the economic appraisal of infrastructure projects).

By reviewing examples of good practice and testing their applicability and likely performance in representative situations, INTERCONNECT will be able to make a real contribution to the wider issemination of best practice. Furthermore, demonstrating the application of appropriate analytical tools will advance the state of the art in this field of analysis.

INTERCONNECT’s general objectives are thus:

1. To reveal the extent, impact and causes of poor interconnectivity;
2. To identify existing good practise and potential solutions, analyse them using appropriate methods and establish their likely contribution to improving interconnectivity;
3. To disseminate the findings widely and promote take-up of best practice.

For further information please visit the INTERCONNECT website: www.interconnect-project.eu