Owing to its exceptional geographical situation, the Upper Rhine region finds itself at the convergence of the trans-European transport network. As gateways to the two largest economies in Europe and the Swiss economic locomotive, the port platforms enjoy optimum conditions when it comes to cross-border economic positioning.
2. To augment inter-port connectionsThe proximity of the platforms presents any number of opportunities to optimise logistics chains and enhance the efficiency of rail and river traffic. Cooperation between the ports aims to provide further cross-border links between platforms to enable their clients to take advantage of this potential.
Through its ports, the Upper Rhine region handles a considerable amount of import-export traffic with every continent. Together, the Upper Rhine ports will enhance their visibility and be able to take up a better position when competing with major players. They have a broad range of services at their disposal, which reflects the attractiveness of the tri-national market place.
The proximity of urban and countryside zones reduces the ports' potential for development. An integrateds, inter-port development strategy has helped to identify complementarities between platforms and optimise use of the existing infrastructures.
The excellent rail connections between the Upper Rhine ports guarantee a flexible logistics service offer and an advantage for the economic market place. Rail traffic as an alternative to river traffic on the Rhine is a factor that will add to the region's attractiveness in the future. This is why the ports are taking action now to maintain and develop the existing rail networks.
The Upper Rhine ports are industrial and port sites that provide 70,000 jobs. With urban development towards the river, an increasing amount of space given over to port use finds itself directly next door to residential areas. This gives the ports the opportunity to become visible to residents and to awaken interest and understanding in port activities.
To attract new traffic to the rail- and waterways, it is vital to offer the chance to devise flexible, efficient logistics processes. Interconnection between trimodal platforms presents the opportunity to offer a flexible response to client needs and create intelligent new logistics solutions.
