Rivers, lines of navigation and communication that have been used for centuries, are attracting new and growing interest throughout Europe. Today, the Netherlands, Germany, France, Belgium and Switzerland account for 90% of the inland waterway companies operating in continental Europe. 

With the Danube, the Rhine and the Loire, Western Europe offers major lines of communication. 

Like rail freight, inland waterways are becoming one of the preferred solutions for transporting goods to the centres of large conurbations. The result is fewer traffic jams because there are fewer trucks, and an 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to diesel-powered road haulage.

So, can this form of freight transport become a sustainable solution? Does it tick all the boxes? What are the obstacles to its development? 

To talk about it, we have the pleasure of welcoming in this episode : 

• Thomas Castan, founder of ULS, Urban Logistic Solutions
• Stéphane Cassagne, Managing Director Distribution and Express, GEODIS
• Céline Ohresser, Assistant to the Head of the Waterway Development Department and National Reference for Urban River Logistics at Voies Navigables de France