Transport activity across Europe is high, and set to continue growing – estimates suggest that passenger transport will increase by 42% by 2050, and freight transport by 60%. This is good news for passengers and trade, but puts pressure on the transport network as well as the environment. A capacity crunch is already being felt in some sectors, generating heavy costs for ordinary travellers and businesses alike.
Solutions to this structural challenge must not divert us from against meeting our targets on greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions.
Capacity and climate change are not the only developments affecting transport. Since the last major revision of EU transport policy in with the 2011 White Paper, new socio-economic and technological developments have also emerged or become more prominent, such as the collaborative economy, digitalisation, big data, increasingly complex business structures and supply chains, and a shift to a circular economy.
These challenges are laid out in the second edition of this report, which I am pleased to present. Like its predecessor it provides an overview of the issues facing both the EU at large and its individual Member States. The report sets out the key trends and issues for the single European transport area, the development of a transport infrastructure network across EU countries, and the external costs of transport.