Multimodal means using more than one means of transport for the journey of your cargo. In Poland, due to lack of any regular inland waterway connections, multimodal de facto means using rail and road.
Its main advantage is the possibility to carry heavier containers than it would be possible using only road. When the distance is significant - it might also be more competitive than road transport. This mode of transport is also more eco-friendly than road transport.
According to the White Paper on Transport issued by the European Commission in 2011, until 2030 - 30% and until 2050 – 50% of road transport on distances greater than 300 km must be shifted to multimodal, so this mode will see further increases and developments.
However, the drawback of this mode is longer transit time and lower schedule reliability. Competitiveness of this mode is dependent on the distance – both from your site to the port and from your site to the closest intermodal terminal.
