The study 'Internalisation of External Costs of Transport: Impact on Rail' says a modal shift from road to rail could save around 12 million tonnes of CO2 every year. The study comes as the revision of the Eurovignette directive that governs the rules for charging lorries, has got stuck in the EU legislative process amid disagreements between peripheral and central EU members.
Lorry charges can make a big difference
Charging lorries for their external costs could contribute significantly to reducing CO2 emissions from transport, according to a study from the University of Karlsruhe for the Community of European Railways.