The Ascenseur de Strépy in southern Belgium lifts barges 70 metres above the Belgian countryside to connect them to the Rhine. The €650m ($787m) tower is a symbol of the underutilised potential of Europe’s inland waterways.
“This kind of project shows that the will is there to improve infrastructure,” says hydraulics supervisor Vincent Despiegeleer. “It creates benefits for the whole economy.”
The European Commission agrees. It has approved an action plan to ease congestion and delays across the European transport system by encouraging a switch to the often-neglected waterborne freight sector, not least for environmental reasons.
4/17/06
FT.com - EU aims to boost transport on inland waterways - by Chris Smyth
FT.com / World / Europe - EU aims to boost transport on inland waterways - by Chris Smyth
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