Sources: BTS, EU & MLIT.

Modal Split in the EU, United States and Japan, 2005 (in % of tons-km)

Modal split reflects different geographical conditions in which transport systems operate. While within the European Union and in Japan road and coastal shipping account for the great majority of ton-kms, rail dominates in the United States. The continental character and the fragmentation of the American economy into specialized regions is prone to long distance rail shipments. The reliance on pipelines to supply the consumption of fossil fuels, namely petroleum and natural gas, is also apparent, particularly since the United States is also a producer. For Europe and Japan, the high densities and the relatively short distances involved favor trucking while the maritime exposure they have, in terms of coastline, favors a high usage of coastal shipping. No inland location is more than 200 miles (320 km) from the coast, which underlines why the share of the road in significant.