Drivers and Barriers for Inland Waterway Transportation–Lessons Learnt

Paper in proceeding, 2019

Inland waterway (IWW) transportation in Sweden could be a substitute for road transports with the prospects of improving the environmental performance. For a successful modal shift it is important to understand the drivers and barriers for the shift and develop strategies to leverage the drivers and mitigate the barriers. This study aims to identify drivers and barriers for IWW transportation based on successful benchmark cases in the Netherlands. Furthermore, based on the learning from these benchmarks the study aims to point out strategic actions for Sweden regarding IWW.  The results showed that main drivers for IWW are congestion relief, cost reduction and lower environmental impact. On the other hand, main barriers are slow pace of development, high investment costs and poor hinterland connectivity. For a successful modal shift in Sweden, it is crucial to prepare governmental support, a change in stakeholders’ mindset, decisive attitude to modal shift process and a strong long-term perspective.