Strength in numbers

摘要

Although the recession has resulted in Benelux ports' container traffic dropping significantly since the middle of 2008 (see Neighbourhood watch', pp53-54), its beneficial effect on inland road traffic congestion appears marginal so far.rnThere are several reasons for this, including more of the population wanting to take advantage of their private cars, and fewer intermodal barge and rail services being run due to insufficient critical mass.rnThe need to make Rotterdam and Antwerp's hinterland connections more fluid by breaking through inner-city congestion remains critical, therefore, and the improvement of rail and barge services is still seen as the main ingredient. As the frequency of these services has deteriorated, everyone's focus has had to switch to improving service quality.