ABSTRACT
This chapter firstly discusses the main characteristics of Motorways of the Sea (MoS) in Italy. The evolution of MoS routes from 2008 to 2019, with a focus on routes supplied in 2015, is shown. Existing Ro-Ro and Ro-Pax routes calling at Italian ports are analyzed, and they are compared to each other regarding speed, frequency and reliability. Subsequently, the competitiveness of intermodal transport, based on MoS, against all-road transport, is analyzed in a quantitative way, for the case study of the Ligurian Sea coastal area. The existing motorway, in this region, is very congested and presents poor technical characteristics, but the low distances between cities of the Ligurian coast does not favour intermodal transport based on MoS. The results of the research show that the current intermodal alternative is not competitive, but three other scenarios have been studied: fare integration, route integration and completely new MoS routes. The third scenario stands out as the best in terms of monetary costs and travel times for the users, but it requires high investment costs.
