ABSTRACT

The article discusses the issues of inland waterway transport in Poland. The historical technical solutions used in the transport at the turn of 19th and 20th century. The present state of waterways and stock used in inland shipping is reviewed. The energy consumption of various intermodal freight transport modes is analysed, including inland waterway transport, rail transport and road transport. As an alternative, the application of electric powertrains to drive a barge is presented, in the forms of an electric motor on board a barge or an electric driven land based mule, towing a barge.