Previous UIC studies on external costs of transport (INFRAS/IWW 1995, 2000, 2004) are widely known and cited in the scientific and political arena and provide a comprehensive comparison of transport modes in Europe based on their economic impact on society. However, since 2004, various important developments took place such as the publication of the EC Greening Transport Package from 2008, the 2011 EU White Paper, the latest revision of the Eurovignette Directive and various new studies on the external cost of transport. Against this background UIC commissioned CE Delft, INFRAS and ISI to carry out this update study, to obtain a state-of-the-art overview of the total, average and marginal external costs of transport in the EU. This update study shows that the average external costs for road transport are much higher than for rail. Per passenger-km the costs of cars or aviation are about four times those of rail transport. For freight transport we see a similar pattern. The predominant cost categories are accidents and emissions (climate change, air pollution and upstream). When combining the average costs with transport volume data, the sum of all external costs were calculated. The total external costs of transport in the EU plus Norway and Switzerland in 2008 amount to more than € 500 billion, or 4% of the total GDP. About 77% of the costs are caused by passenger transport and 23% by freight. On top of these, the annual congestion cost of road transport delays amount to between € 146 and 243 billion (1 to 2% of the total GDP). Road transport modes have by far the largest share in these costs (93%). This can be explained by the large share of road in the overall transport volume as well as their higher average external costs per passenger-km or tonne-km. Passenger cars have a share of about 61%, followed by trucks (13%), vans (9%), two-wheelers (6%) and buses (4%). From the non-road modes, aviation has the largest share in external costs with about 5%, although only intra-EU flights are included. Rail transport is responsible for less than 2% and inland shipping for only 0.3%. Sea shipping was not included in this study. Apart from average costs, also marginal external costs have been calculated, distinguishing various network types, vehicle technologies and traffic situations. These results show that also the marginal external costs for road are much higher than for rail transport. It also becomes clear that the marginal costs in urban areas are much higher than in non-urban areas. The external costs for road transport are lowest on motorways. The results of this study can be used for various purposes. The total and average cost estimates provide a strong basis for comparing the environmental burden of various transport modes. They could also serve as a basis for transport pricing or be used in cost benefit analysis (CBA) or for general policy development. (Author/publisher)
Samenvatting