Fit for 55-Does It Fit All? Air and Rail Transport after Covid-19 Pandemic

The main principle of sustainability means being able to meet the needs of today's society without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Sustainable development implies the interdependence of its main components: society, economy, and ecology. The prosperity of a society depends on economic progress and the development of new technologies, but in a way that the natural environment is protected and preserved. This concept is inextricably linked to the concept of ecology and, consequently, to all types of transport, given that transport is considered one of the main pollutants of the ecosystem. Due to its rapid development through history, and as the youngest and safest type of transport, air transport is particularly subjected to the environmental impact assessment. At the same time, air transport affects the global economy due to its connection with other sectors, which in turn enables faster mobility of people, services, and goods. This was especially evident with the increased need for faster medical supplies and protective equipment delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic. The European Union's transport policy is geared towards sustainable development by linking all environmental and social goals in a balanced way. Considering the negative long-term impact of COVID-19 on the air transportation sector, the question posed in this paper is whether this can be done in an appropriate way. As part of the European Green Deal, the "Fit for 55" package is a set of proposals to revise and update EU legislation with the purpose of introducing new initiatives regarding the climate goals agreed by the Council and the European Parliament. Regarding air transport, the emphasis is on contributing to reducing CO2 emissions and noise pollution and their impact on other sectors and competitiveness. The EU Commission White Paper: "Roadmap to a Single European Transport Area - Towards a competitive and resource efficient transport system" emphasizes that the EU aviation industry should become a frontrunner in the use of low-carbon fuels to reach the set targets, as well as that the majority of medium-distance passenger transport should go by rail by 2050. There are also initiatives that aviation taxes should subsidize high-speed rail (HSR), which potentially may cause a decrease in the air transport and benefit an increase the rail transport. The paper will also address the questions as to whether existing legislation, measures, and proposals are appropriate, considering that aviation is one of the industry sectors that is most affected by COVID-19 and could be most affected by the "Fit for 55" package, as well what impact this duopoly might have on the market for travel served by air transport. Does really "Fit for 55" fit air transport?

Development of Rail Container Transportation Based on Mobility and Logistics Efficiency

Increasing the level of containerization in Russia is a source of competitiveness growth, since it focuses on increasing the efficiency of nationally oriented logistics and integration into global logistics chains, ensures transparency and productivity of the transport and logistics sector. The negative consequences caused by COVID-19 have affected freight transportation by all modes of transport. The reaction of carriers to the existing challenges largely determines the trajectory of development not only of railway container transportation, but also the format of the development of Russian cargo traffic for the coming years or even decades. The purpose of this study is to develop measures to increase the mobility of container cargo turnover on Russian railways and indicative designation of possible effects from their implementation. We prove that the development of infrastructure, stabilization of tariff policy, optimization of operational activities, expansion of the digital platform significantly affects the qualitative and quantitative development of rail container transportation based on mobility and logistics efficiency. The methodology of the study is based on the analysis of the target indicators of containerization of Russian railways for 2010–2020, the main product line of container transportation and competitors of the railway by means of transport. As a result of the study, trends in the growth of the share of container cargo turn-over on the Russian railway network are determined, the support of digital tools is justified in order to increase the mobility of container cargo turnover, a set of mechanisms for supporting and developing railway container transportation based on mobility and logistics efficiency is proposed. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Transport Digitalization

The rapid development of digital technologies, accelerated by COVID-19 effects tends to undermine the established business models and existing sectors of the economy, including the transport sector. Artificial intelligence, robotics technology, the Internet of Things, big data drastically transform all types of transport and logistics operations. Moreover, in addition to digitalization, this sector turned out to be influenced by a wave of public concern over the ecological state of the planet. A powerful impetus was given by a recent climate change conference in Glasgow, following the results of which the governments of many countries undertook a commitment to ensure a net zero carbon footprint over the coming decades. Thousands of companies have declared their allegiance to ESG principles and readiness to work for a green economy. The prospects for the development of the industry are also influenced by changes in consumer behavior. New generation—digital natives, are ready to give up private cars, using instead car sharing service, switch to bicycles and kick scooters and buy environmentally friendly electric cars. However, in the beginning of 2022 the world has met new challenges and risks brought by the new geopolitical situation after the start of the war of Russia in Ukraine. The event resulted in the immediate disruption of many logistic channels, the consequences of which are beyond prediction at the moment. Even after the military activities cease it may take significant time to restore the disrupted connections. The study is based on the use of qualitative comparative analysis that identifies the impact of digitalization on the subsectors of the transport industry. The purpose of the study is to analyze the impact of the main digital transformation tools, as well as other impact factors (decarbonization, changes in behavioral stereotypes, COVID-19, etc.) on the development of transport: road, rail, sea and air transport. The transport industry is viewed through the lens of "Mobility as a Service” (MaaS). The research is focused on revolutionary changes in the development of the industry, which will result in structural changes in value added chains, shifts in the geography of the deployment of production facilities, the further spread of electronic document flow and payments, the growth in the use of electric cars and autonomous vehicles, robotization of warehouses and port infrastructure, the introduction of the Internet of Things in traffic control. The result of the study was the conclusion that the digitalization process in transport will develop, having an impact on other sectors of the economy. It was determined that these processes are irreversible, and companies engaged in transport operations and those working in related fields must adapt to changes: develop their own business models or adapt to existing ones. At the same time, the industry is only in the early stages of digitalization, the rate of changes and their consequences are not yet determined. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Changes in Transportation due to the Influence of SARS-CoV-2

2020 and 2021 were years dominated by COVID-19. Fear of an unknown pathogen, circulating conspiracy theories, introduced administrative restrictions and their loosening significantly influenced social life and all economic sectors. Large changes were also observed in transport, manifested by a decrease in the transport volume and lower revenues. The article presents the changes on Polish transport market and shows the correlation between their level and the introduced sanitary restrictions. The analysis of the available data revealed: fragility of the transport system and its lack of resistance to unexpected events;relatively quick adaptation/overcoming of difficulties on the railways, especially in the transport of goods;changes in social mobility;differences in individual countries, and draw the conclusions about: the possibility of quick adaptation of rail transport in crisis situations;the existing transport potential in the railway sector;the need to adopt solutions that make transport immune to unexpected events. The article uses data obtained as a result of a review of world literature, studies of many institutions and organizations as well as obtained from the Office of Rail Transport and individual carriers. © 2022 Kaunas University of Technology. All rights reserved.

Rail Passenger Transport before and during Pandemic COVID-19 in Slovak Republic

Pandemic Covid-19 has influenced all sectors of the economy. Lockdown and other measures meant bankruptcy for many companies. Rail companies providing rail passenger services have a specific status because most services in rail passenger transport are provided as public service obligation (PSO), only some services are provided on a commercial basis. The paper deals with the comparison of rail passenger transport services in the train kilometers and passenger kilometers PSO and commercial services before and during the pandemic COVID-19. We researched the synergistic effect of the change in rail transport performances in terms of social costs. © 2022 Kaunas University of Technology. All rights reserved.

Transport Digitalization

The rapid development of digital technologies, accelerated by COVID-19 effects tends to undermine the established business models and existing sectors of the economy, including the transport sector. Artificial intelligence, robotics technology, the Internet of Things, big data drastically transform all types of transport and logistics operations. Moreover, in addition to digitalization, this sector turned out to be influenced by a wave of public concern over the ecological state of the planet. A powerful impetus was given by a recent climate change conference in Glasgow, following the results of which the governments of many countries undertook a commitment to ensure a net zero carbon footprint over the coming decades. Thousands of companies have declared their allegiance to ESG principles and readiness to work for a green economy. The prospects for the development of the industry are also influenced by changes in consumer behavior. New generation—digital natives, are ready to give up private cars, using instead car sharing service, switch to bicycles and kick scooters and buy environmentally friendly electric cars. However, in the beginning of 2022 the world has met new challenges and risks brought by the new geopolitical situation after the start of the war of Russia in Ukraine. The event resulted in the immediate disruption of many logistic channels, the consequences of which are beyond prediction at the moment. Even after the military activities cease it may take significant time to restore the disrupted connections. The study is based on the use of qualitative comparative analysis that identifies the impact of digitalization on the subsectors of the transport industry. The purpose of the study is to analyze the impact of the main digital transformation tools, as well as other impact factors (decarbonization, changes in behavioral stereotypes, COVID-19, etc.) on the development of transport: road, rail, sea and air transport. The transport industry is viewed through the lens of “Mobility as a Service” (MaaS). The research is focused on revolutionary changes in the development of the industry, which will result in structural changes in value added chains, shifts in the geography of the deployment of production facilities, the further spread of electronic document flow and payments, the growth in the use of electric cars and autonomous vehicles, robotization of warehouses and port infrastructure, the introduction of the Internet of Things in traffic control. The result of the study was the conclusion that the digitalization process in transport will develop, having an impact on other sectors of the economy. It was determined that these processes are irreversible, and companies engaged in transport operations and those working in related fields must adapt to changes: develop their own business models or adapt to existing ones. At the same time, the industry is only in the early stages of digitalization, the rate of changes and their consequences are not yet determined. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Measuring customer satisfaction with the Gautrain during the COVID-19 pandemic using the service quality model

Background: The Gautrain was created with the sole purpose of availing efficient transportation between the three metropolitan municipalities, namely the City of Tshwane, the City of Johannesburg and the City of Ekurhuleni. The Gautrain has been transporting more than five million passengers annually. However, ridership decreased drastically because of COVID-19. Poor ridership has resulted in less revenue income and the halting of expansion. In prior years, the Gautrain Management Agency (GMA) measured customer satisfaction levels;however, it has not undertaken such a study since the start of COVID-19 pandemic. Objectives: The study measured service quality experienced by Gautrain users amidst the COVID-19 pandemic through the service quality (SERVQUAL) model. Unknown customer satisfaction levels with the Gautrain services during the COVID-19 pandemic posed a problem for the agency. Method: This study followed a descriptive and quantitative path. A cross-sectional survey via online platforms was used to collect the data. The study had a sample size of 84 Gautrain commuters. Results: The findings revealed that users experienced a negative service quality in terms of SERVQUAL dimensions, namely assurance, tangibles, empathy and responsiveness. Conclusion: The study concluded that COVID-19 had a negative impact on some of the Gautrain service factors;however, users were still satisfied with some of the service factors. It is recommended that the Gautrain can improve services by understanding what customers expect in terms of service factors during the pandemic. © 2022. The Authors. Licensee: AOSIS.

Importance - Performance Analysis (IPA) of metro service attributes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: The study of user satisfaction with public transport services is of key interest for enhancing public transport ridership. However, the elevated risks of virus transmission on public transport associated with COVID-19 have resulted in a shift towards private vehicles. This issue is of concern to policymakers due to reduced levels of public transport use and increased private vehicle trips. Thus, it is relevant to re-evaluate attributes impacting user satisfaction during the COVID-19 pandemic to understand how this compares to related research undertaken before the pandemic. Methodology: Through a survey of 507 Tehran Metro users, the structural patterns among 33 metro service attributes were determined using Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA). A service quality model of the Tehran Metro service (including cleanliness, ventilation/temperature, congestion, operation hours, ticket, information, reliability, and safety) was then designed using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). Attributes and latent constructs were classified using Importance - Performance Analysis (IPA). Findings: Attributes associated with general congestion in the metro, the performance of the metro during peak hours, cleanliness, and temperature/ventilation were found to be among the most influential attributes during the pandemic. Conclusion: Before the COVID-19 pandemic, time and cost effectiveness were key attributes affecting the choice of travel mode. Due to the outbreak of the virus, safety and health have been identified as the main attributes affecting the choice of travel mode. In this research, with a case study of the Tehran metro, it was found that there is a shift in attributes affecting service quality towards cleanliness, congestion and temperature/ventilation. As a result, a range of policies is needed to deal with the effect of COVID-19 on metro services. These include: increasing the number of metro services, reducing the time interval between metro services, improving air conditioning, and regular cleaning of vehicles. Policymakers can use the results of this study to improve user satisfaction with metro services and increase ridership levels during the pandemic.

Assessment of the Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on the Romanian Transportation and Storage Sector

This chapter is a synthesis of the research results obtained by the group of authors in the institutional project Restart Economia, developed by the Bucharest University of Economic Studies, having as beneficiary the Government of Romania, in May–August 2020, for the transportation and storage sector. The outcome of the study is a set of conclusions and suggestions consolidated at the level of the analysed industry in order to combat the effects of the COVID-19 crisis. The main recommendations of the research team are mainly considering to optimize public policies by aligning strategic documents to the requirements of business environment in the transportation and storage sector, and by updating the criteria for allocating non-reimbursable funds available under financing programmes in a manner that ensures the non-discriminatory access of companies from this sector to non-reimbursable funds, intended for the development of their own infrastructure. Our proposals aim at increasing the volume of investments by accessing investment grants, increasing the level of digitization, continuous staff development or building clusters of activity. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.