The Transport of Goods and Passengers by Navigable Waterways in Western Europe

Abstract

ABSTRACT A navigable waterway has several functions one of which particularly concerns the economy of the countries: the transport of goods and, to a lesser degree, the transport of passengers. The purpose of this paper is to give an overall view of the significance of these kinds of transport in five countries of Western Europe which have networks belonging to an important international system centred on a large river, the Rhine. This paper is comprised of three parts: the transport of goods on the whole network and, in particular, on the Rhine; a brief comparison between the volume of traffic of each of the three modes of overland transport; the transport of passengers. It thus enable us to realize the important share held by the navigable waterway in national and international transport within Western Europe.