Prague, Aug 22 (CTK) – Lorries and vans transported nearly 88 million tonnes of goods on Czech roads in the first quarter of the year, about a tenth more annually and the highest Q1 figure in ten years, the Czech Statistical Office (CSU) said today.
International freight transport makes up only 11 percent of the total figure, with exports outpacing imports, said Marie Bouskova, head of the CSU service statistics department.
Metal ores and mining products constitute a major portion of the inland freight transport volumes, making up 29 percent of the goods structure in the Jan-March period.
Foodstuffs, drinks and tobacco accounted for 9 percent, and agriculture, hunting and forestry products including fish constituted nearly a tenth.
“The average distance on which goods are carried on roads is 111 km. As statistics show, the length is usually the highest in the first quarter,” Bouskova said.
The government has long been trying to lower the amount of goods moved on roads and raise the share of rail and water transport.
In its policy statement, the cabinet of Prime Minister Andrej Babis said it would back shifting freight transport from roads to railway and help create conditions to enable that, including EU funding to develop intermodal transport terminals.
The Czech road and motorway network is 55,756 km long, with the latter making up 2 percent and first-class roads 10 percent of roads in operation, according to data from the Transport Ministry.