"Transport statistics" MEETING OF THE WORKING GROUP ON RAIL TRANSPORT STATISTICS. Luxembourg, 9 and 10 November Bech Building.

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1 Document: Rail/2011/5 "Transport statistics" MEETING OF THE WORKING GROUP ON RAIL TRANSPORT STATISTICS Luxembourg, 9 and 10 November 2011 Bech Building Room Ampère Beginning 10:00 a.m. Freight co-modality and logistics performance indicators Item 5 of the agenda Please note that the documents will be available in English only. Moreover extra copies of the documents listed on the agenda will no longer be available in the meeting room, unless they were not made available to delegates two weeks before the meeting. Delegates are invited to bring with them the copies they downloaded from CIRCA. The same applies for the presentations which will be made available through CIRCA just some days before the meeting.

2 1. Task Force on Intermodal transport statistics The Commission has been tackling intermodal freight transport since a number of years, and more recently in the March 2011 White Paper Roadmap to a Single European Transport Area Towards a competitive and resource efficient transport system. At the CGST meeting in December 2009, a Task Force was created to investigate possibilities to compile intermodal freight transport statistics at EU level, by looking at studies, projects and initiatives that have been deployed in the past at EU, national and international levels. The Task Force met twice during 2011 and will have to report to the CGST in December Two options for obtaining data on intermodal transport There are basically two options to obtain statistics on intermodal transport: Launch a full-scale new data collection (for example a EU Commodity Flow Survey) Use existing statistics from different transport modes and combine them appropriately. 3. The so-called German approach For pragmatic reasons (better use of existing data from modal statistics; no need to launch a new expensive EU survey), the Task Force has started investigating the 2 nd option. More specifically the Task Force is looking at the German experience in this area. Indeed Germany has compiled intermodal transport statistics since 2002, combining the existing modal statistics. The Task Force is currently investigating if the so-called "German approach" could be implemented at EU level. The Task Force has therefore looked at data availability in Germany and compared it to data stemming from the statistical returns of the different transport-related EU legal acts. This analysis has given an indication on possible shortcomings in the relevant EU legislation, separately for each transport mode, should the "German approach" be applied at EU level. 4. Implications for rail freight statistics The attached document includes the results of the above mentioned analysis for Rail Transport Statistics and was presented and discussed during the latest meeting of the Task Force on Intermodal Transport Statistics, which took place on September The Member States' representatives in the Task Force were required to give a preliminary assessment about the feasibility to implement the amendments in the EU legislation, as described in the document. The Task Force suggested to present the document to the forthcoming Working Group on Rail Transport Statistics (9-10 November 2011) in order to get a more complete (all Member States) and more competent feed-back from the experts in this area of statistics. However, it was clear that the document should be presented to the Working Group on Rail Transport Statistics only for a preliminary technical discussion without any immediate operational implications, since: - the Task Force on Intermodal Transport Statistics has not the mandate to prepare proposals (for decision) for the modal Working Groups and ESTAT-E6 2/10 Rail/2011/5

3 - the current mandate of the Task Force ends at the end of the The CGST (during the meeting to be held on December 2011) will decide whether the Task Force s mandate is renewed. Any further activity in this domain hence depends on this decision. 5. What is expected from the Working Group on Rail Transport Statistics The Working Group (possibly each Member State and other participating countries) is required to provide expert comments on the feasibility to provide Eurostat with the additional data (compared to the existing EU legal basis), as described in the attached document. In some cases, (some of) the additional data may already be collected for national purposes and available at National Statistical Authorities (this is the case for Germany, for example). In other cases, countries will be required to give an assessment on the feasibility to collect the extra data, necessary to compile intermodal transport statistics, according to the "German approach". Information on good practices on how to collect the additional data could also be exchanged during the meeting. The results of the discussion in the Working Group on Rail Transport Statistics will be included in the Report that the Task Force on Intermodal Transport Statistics will prepare and present to the CGST during the meeting on December The CGST will decide on the way forward for the intermodal transport statistics project. 6. Additional information? If Rail Transport Statisticians would like to get more information on the Task Force on Intermodal Transport Statistics (for example more information on the "German approach"), they are welcome to contact Giuliano.amerini@ec.europa.eu ESTAT-E6 3/10 Rail/2011/5

4 Document: IM-TF Transport statistics MEETING OF THE TASK FORCE ON INTERMODAL TRANSPORT STATISTICS Luxembourg, September 2011 Bech Building Room BECH B2/404 Beginning 14:00. Potential changes necessary to the EU Rail Transport Statistics Regulation for the compilation of intermodal transport statistics at EU level according to the 'German approach' Item 5.3 of the agenda ESTAT-E6 4/10 Rail/2011/5

5 Potential changes necessary to the EU Rail Transport Statistics Regulation for the compilation of intermodal transport statistics at EU level according to the 'German approach' 1. Background Intermodal transport may be quantified at EU level without the launch of large-scale supplementary data collections, by combining results of existing statistical returns of the various transport modes, implementing the so called "German approach". The applicability of it at EU level requires that the assumptions underlying the method are (sufficiently) respected in all EU Member States. Then, some limited additional information/data would need to be gathered. More specifically certain EU legal acts would need some adaptations in order to be fit to serve the needs of intermodal transport statistics. This paper focuses on the extra data needed on rail transport statistics i.e. looks at the changes that would need to be made to Regulation 91/2003, should the "German approach" be applied at EU level. 2. Rail transport statistics: data required for the implementation of the "German approach" as compared to the current legislation The implementation of the "German approach" requires the quantification of transport by rail of Intermodal Transport Units (ITUs) between "transport sub-regions" (Verkehrsbezirke), where main transhipment points are located. ITUs are containers, swap bodies and road vehicles (accompanied and unaccompanied). The "transport sub-regions" (Verkehrsbezirke) as defined by Germany for the national territory have a size between a NUTS level 2 and NUTS level 3 area. The "transport subregions" outside the national territory are bigger and can be part of a country, an entire country or a group of countries. In the framework of Regulation 91/2003, the transport of ITUs, broken down by type of transport unit [1. Containers and swap bodies; 2. Semi-trailers (unaccompanied); 3. Road vehicles (accompanied)], is indeed reported, at annual intervals, using different measurement units (grossgross weight of goods in tonnes, number of units, TEUs for containers and swap bodies only) in tables A6-A7-A8. Data are available for loaded and empty ITUs. However, in these tables, geographical information (place of loading and unloading) is limited to the variable "type of transport" (national, international, transit). ESTAT-E6 5/10 Rail/2011/5

6 Data by country of loading and unloading are collected annually in tables A1 (for national transport) and A3 (for international transport and transit). The more detailed NUTS 2-to-NUTS 2 combinations are collected only every five years (as part of Annex F). However, in all these tables (A1, A3, F1 and F2) data cover total transport, and without the breakdown by type of cargo (ITUs vs. other type of cargo). Thus "transport of ITUs" can not be quantified: only the tonnes for total transport are reported. Conclusion: the main shortcoming of the data available according to the existing legislation is that the link between the type of cargo (ITUs vs. other types of cargo) and the place of loading and unloading at detailed (NUTS 2) level is missing. Other limitations are the following: (a) All the above mentioned tables (A1, A3, A6, A7, A8, F1 and F2) are mandatory only for undertakings reaching the threshold of 500 million tkm (see article 4.2 of the Regulation). Undertakings that do not reach the threshold are subject to a simplified reporting (as set out in Annex B), which is too aggregated to be used in the framework of the "German approach". Indeed, depending on the operator structure in the countries concerned, undertakings active in intermodal transport might remain under this limit. (b) Tables F1 and F2 are reported only every five years. (c) Finally, NUTS 2 regions are more aggregated than the German Verkehrsbezirke. ESTAT-E6 6/10 Rail/2011/5

7 3. Additional data that would be required to implement the "German approach" for the production of intermodal transport statistics at EU level To overcome the main shortcoming identified above, two alternatives therefore appear: 1. Change the requirements of Annex A 2. Change the requirements of Annex F Option 1. 1a) Changes needed for Tables A6-A7-A8: the variables "place of loading" and "place of unloading" (at NUTS 2 level) should be added (like in annex F). 1b) A second best solution would be to modify Tables A1 and A3 by adding a new variable "type of cargo" (at least ITUs vs. non-itus) and by including the variables "place of loading" and "place of unloading" at NUTS 2 level. However, under this sub-option some data would not be available (compared to sub-option 1a): data by type of unit, data expressed in number of units and in TEUs (for containers and swap bodies), information on the loading status of the units (loaded vs. empty). ESTAT-E6 7/10 Rail/2011/5

8 ESTAT-E6 8/10 Rail/2011/5

9 Option 2. 2a) Changes needed for Tables F1 and F2: the split by type of cargo and by type of intermodal transport units (and possibly by loading status of the units) should be added. For ITUs: the number of units should be collected. For containers and swap bodies only: the TEUs should be collected. The tables should be collected every year. 2b) A second best solution would be to modify Tables F1 and F2 by adding a new variable "type of cargo" (ITUs vs. non-itus). However, under this sub-option some data would not be available (compared to sub-option 2a): data by type of unit, data expressed in number of units and in TEUs (for containers and swap bodies), information on the loading status of the units (loaded vs. empty). Finally the frequency of data collection (currently every five years) should be lowered. Other issues: - the impact of the "simplified reporting" on the coverage of the results should be evaluated. - the possibility to collect data at NUTS 3 level for the variables "place of loading" and "place of unloading" could be evaluated. ESTAT-E6 9/10 Rail/2011/5

10 4. Purpose of this document This document is an example of the possible proposals to be presented and discussed in each modal working group (the example refers to Rail Transport Statistics), if the decision to implement the "German Approach" at EU level was taken. The Task Force will be required to give comments in order to improve the document. The Task Force (especially Member States' representatives) will be required to provide first preliminary comments on the technical feasibility to implement the amendments to the EU legislation as described in the document (options 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b) in their countries. Some of the data may be already available at National Statistical Authorities. Finally the Task Force (especially the Member States' representatives) will discuss the possible use of the document in the forthcoming Working Group on Rail Transport Statistics to be held on 9-10 November ESTAT-E6 10/10 Rail/2011/5