Sustainability in Freight Transportation: A Comparative Study of Train and Truck Movement in France and Finland

Abstract

During the years sustainability has become an important factor for stakeholders when evaluating company performance, due to a high sustainability rating the companies demonstrates their reliability and transparency. Trucks and trains are two main freight transportation modes, with different environmental and operational impacts. The study aimed to compare the environmental impact and energy efficiency of train and truck freight transportation in France and Finland. Organizations today work as interconnected networks where sustainability and performance must align, making it crucial to evaluate the balance between environmental, financial, and operational goals in the matter of these freight structures. The objective of the study was to assess the effectiveness of train and truck transport system in two different countries. Additionally, analyzed existing studies on the environmental and economic efficiency of freight modes that are researched, by providing findings of how these two nations obtained their sustainability goals. Descriptive literature review was the implementation method, which included structured search techniques and involved constant extraction of important data from previous studies in order to generate comprehensive understanding of the topic. The outcome demonstrated that France and Finland present significant sustainability advantages in rail freight transportation, mainly in reducing emissions and energy consumption. In France, the Ministry of Ecological Transformation encourage train as an upper option for environmentally aware long-distance freight for the reason of their low carbon footprint. Nevertheless, rail reliability and competitiveness are affected by the challenges such as congestion and insufficient infrastructure fundings in comparison with road freight transport. The environmental benefits brought by rail freight made Finland prioritize it, while the truck remained crucial for short-distance haulage and last-mile delivery. The operational performance was higher due to the less complicated legal system in Finland, along with strategic investments in multimodal ports and train infrastructure. These findings presented that, trucks are playing a key role in last-mile deliveries and short-distance logistics, whereas rail freight can be linked to higher distances due to energy efficiency and low carbon intensity. These two modes of transportation need to balance each other out if sustainable freight logistics is to be achieved. The current lack of data and differences in national policies all point towards a greater need for study and committed efforts at improving freight transportation networks in the two countries.