What are the attitudes of the EU to water transport?
The EU pays a great amount of attention to the modernisation and development of the European waterway network, which it sees as the foundation of an alternative multimodal transportation network. This network will enable the enhancement of the competitiveness of water transport, as the EU strives to contribute to a greater share of water transport in multimodal transport, everywhere that it is possible. The impulse for the development of waterway infrastructure in Europe is also the growing demand for combined road-railway-water transport, and requests for multimodality.
Can water transport compete with other types of transportation, when water transport is so much slower?
Transport on inland waterways is, with an average speed of 15 km/h, comparable to railway transport, and on certain distances even with road transport.
What would it mean if the Elbe were not navigable all year round?
The Elbe waterway is the only free-of-charge waterway connecting the Czech Republic with sea ports such as Hamburg, Rotterdam, Antwerp, etc., and the West-European Waterway. The existence of water transport in this transportation corridor is a price-regulator for other modes of transport, primarily railway. This model applies analogically.
What are the main ecological advantages of water transportation?
Water transportation is usually considered the ecologically cleanest compared to both road and railway transport. If it is operated on an existing water course, water transportation brings the following advantages: a minimum occupancy of land and low emissions of pollutants, as well as low noise levels. Compared to other modes of transport, the measurable consumption of energy in water transport is 464 kJ/tkm, in railway transport 566 kJ/tkm, and in road transport 2,290 kJ/tkm, which is a ratio of 1 : 1.22 : 4.94.
What is your estimate of the environmental impact of the construction of weirs on the lower reaches of the Elbe?
The project will enable to manage the water regime in certain locales and will significantly contribute to the stabilisation of certain protected plant and animal species.