Application of a Web-Based Toolbox for Scanning the Potential of Intermodal Transport to the Greek Market

The increase of intermodal transport freight volumes is believed to contribute significantly towards diminishing the negative external effects of transport in general. However, the experience of the 1990’s underlines the need to direct the efforts to stimulate intermodal transport to the demand side of the market and to examine closely the specific characteristics of the EU industrial supply chains. If intermodal transport is to be enhanced, the opportunities and constraints of a modal shift must be evaluated from a supply chain perspective. A comprehensive tool, capable of supporting the full process of identifying the potential flows for shifting cargo from road to more environmental friendly modes (rail, maritime, inland waterways) and of evaluating the consequences of implementing such a modal shift is developed by the SPIN project. Such a tool will be able to cover the whole spectrum of the business investment decision process. The present paper presents the application of this web-based toolbox for identifying the potential for modal shift to intermodal transport in three real business cases of freight transport from Greece.