Published 15 Sep, 2017
Fehmarnbelt fixed link will alter the modal split of intra-European traffic and it will happen fast
In its study “Fehmarnbelt Fixed Link: Modal Split Drivers”, TENTacle Partner Institute of Shipping Economics and Logistics (ISL) has looked at the impact, which other fixed crossings have had in the Baltic Sea. ”From what we have seen in past cases, there is a noticeable and immediate decline of ferry traffic on routes in the vicinity of new fixed links. Several shipping services were ceased shortly after the opening of the fixed links”, says ISL’s researcher and project manager Dr. Sönke Maatsch. ”In both analysed cases, the fixed links attracted a massive amount of traffic at the expense of the ferry services, particularly the more time-sensitive passenger traffic”, Dr. Maatsch concludes.
It is likely that the changes to existing traffic flows, once the Fehmarnbelt fixed link opens, will happen very fast. Stakeholders are well advised to not adopt a “wait and see approach” but to work on ideas and strategies how to respond to changing traffic flows at an early stage.
The study is part of the traffic flow analyses conducted for the TENTacle Fehmarnbelt Pilot Case and the measures developed will serve as an input for the scenario-building in the upcoming study “Trans-Baltic Transport Structures to 2030”. The outcomes help to understand the impact of different measures on transport flows which is important to analyse the economic impacts in the regions.
You can download the full study in the section “Downloads”.
Further information:
Dr. Sönke Maatsch
Institute of Shipping Economics and Logistics
E-mail: maatsch@isl.org