Northern Axis / Arctic - Central European Green Transport 1

North Baltic Foresight Debate

Bodø, 31 May 2010

Per Strømhaug

Northern Axis / Arctic - Central European Green Transport 2

Historical flashback

The Baltic Ring - Vision of the CPMR Baltic Sea Commission (2003)

Northern Axis / Arctic - Central European Green Transport 3

Historical flashback

2002-03: The Work Group Transport of the CPMR Baltic Sea Commission formulated the idea of “The Baltic Ring” – a continuous railway infrastructure connecting people and businesses around the Baltic Sea

2003-04: Seed money Project “InterBaltic” - resulting in report on “Transport Challenges in the Baltic Sea Area”

2005-07: Pursuing the report on transport challenges through the main project “InterBaltic” under the BSR Interreg III B Programme. Project focused on development of a transport strategy for the BSR aiming at shifting cargo transport from road to rail and sea – including some pilot studies related to specific types of cargo (WP 4).

2008-09 Development of new project description built on the ideas from WP 4 of the “InterBaltic” project with particular focus on transport of fresh seafood and other time critical cargo from Northern Scandinavia to Central and Eastern Europe. Development of the project NACE is made in close cooperation with the “SoNorA”-project in the Central European Program (CADSES) that is concentrating on northbound cargo from Adriatic Sea to Scandinavia.

2009-10 Following non-approval of the NACE-project redefining the scope of the project with close connection to EU’s Baltic Sea Strategy.

Northern Axis / Arctic - Central European Green Transport 4

Some main cargo flows to and from Arctic area

Fruit/vegetables, wine, other food products (northbound)

Minerals, metals, forest and other industrial products

Congested areas (to be avoided)

Supplies to oil and mining industry

Salmon and other fresh and frozen seafood

Northern Axis / Arctic - Central European Green Transport 5

EU Strategy for BSR – To Improve Internal and External Transport Links

Northern Axis / Arctic - Central European Green Transport 6

EU Strategy for BSR – To Improve Internal and External Transport Links

“Facilitate efficient overall Baltic freight transport and logistics solutions”

by removing non infrastructure-related bottlenecks, promoting intermodal connections, developing the Green Corridor concept through the implementation of concrete projects, developing infrastructure, supporting logistics service providers, establishing harmonised electronic administrative procedures, harmonising control procedures,...

Northern Axis / Arctic - Central European Green Transport 7

NACE

Northern Axis / Arctic – Central European

Green Transport (NACE)

Connecting the Arctic Area / Barents Region

to Central and Southern Europe(by cooperation with the SoNorA-project)

Northern Axis / Arctic - Central European Green Transport 8

Narvik

Oulo

Boden

Syktyvkar

Rovaniemi

“Northern Axis”N.E.W. - Corridor

The Northern East-West Transport Corridor USA - China (N.E.W.)

Trans Siberian Railway

Possible Future Link Murmansk / Narvik -Western China (joining Northern Axis, N.E.W. TC, Barents Link and Belkomur Railway)

First step – establish transport Narvik – St. Petersburg - Moscow

Kajani

Northern Axis / Arctic - Central European Green Transport 9

The project

Marco Polo project (18. May 2010):

Arctic – Central European Green Transport

“ACE Green”

Objective: Considerable shift of cargo transport from road to rail and sea

Northern Axis / Arctic - Central European Green Transport 10

Project area with focus on infrastructure and new services

Northern Axis / N E W Corridor

Arctic – Central European Green Transport

Services:

Northern Axis / Arctic - Central European Green Transport 11

Today.. .. future