Transport infrastructure – Engine or hand brake for global supply chains?

Volume 2

PwC, in cooperation with the European Business School, recently conducted a RealTime Delphi survey of 104 panellists in 29 countries. Our latest publication "Transportation & Logistics 2030 Volume 2: Transport Infrastructure – Engine or hand brake for global supply chains?" draws upon the results of this survey, as well as incorporating the insights of PwC specialists from around the world. The report provides a global perspective on the status-quo of transport infrastructure and its development and how it is set to reshape the transportation & logistics industry. We address four discrete issues for transport infrastructure ─ supply and demand prospects, finance mechanisms, regional competitiveness and sustainability ─ and look at how each area might evolve, as well as how they interconnect.

Here are some of the key findings that should inform decision-makers in the T&L industry until 2030:

• The quantity of goods needed to serve the world's rapidly growing global population will increase over the next twenty years. And the demand for transport infrastructure is unlikely to be fully met in this period – if ever.
• Public officials need to find an appropriate balance between investments in transport infrastructure and an ongoing financial commitment for the maintenance of existing facilities, and should ensure that maintenance needs are incorporated into the funding structure of all new projects.
• Large-scale implementation of road pricing is foreseen, so users should be prepared to pay more for using transport infrastructure in the future.
• Environmental costs will become an integral part of assessing the full costs of a transport infrastructure and will need to be calculated into the business case for any project.