Market development supports intermodality

Last year, 5.19 per cent more shipments were transported by combined transport in Europe than in 2023. The number of tonne-kilometres grew by 8.41 per cent. This was announced by the International Association for Combined Road-Rail Transport (UIRR) at its general meeting in Brussels. The association attributes the fact that tonne-kilometres increased more than the number of shipments to a higher average weight of loading units. According to the UIRR, the growth was driven by national markets, where transport performance increased by 10.6 per cent.

The trend was particularly positive in France and Poland. Cross-border combined transport, on the other hand, grew by only 2.74 per cent. In international transport, there are problems with the interoperability of rail systems and border crossings. In addition, numerous disruptions and construction sites on international corridors caused problems, especially on the north-south axis through Germany.

The ‘extensive and often uncoordinated work on the railway infrastructure, which particularly affected the German network’ had ‘serious financial consequences’ for combined transport companies in 2024. The derailment in the Gotthard Base Tunnel and the landslide in the Maurienne Valley also caused major disruption. The landslide effectively closed the vital Fréjus railway line, the main connection for freight trains between France and Italy, between August 2023 and March 2025.

Infrastructure bottlenecks

The UIRR members want rail-road operators and terminal operators to be financially compensated if the rail infrastructure is unavailable or if its use is restricted to such an extent that they incur ‘disproportionate additional costs’. Association chairman Michail Stahlhut announced that the UIRR would propose a corresponding amendment to the EU legal framework to EU legislators. The European Parliament and the EU member states are currently discussing a regulation on capacity management in the rail sector and a revision of the Combined Transport Directive.

The future of mobility is linked and intermodal – this also applies to freight transport. Combined transport represents an important tool for increasing sustainability, supporting transport combinations and strengthening rail and waterways in the logistics network. (rok)

Reshaping Combined Transport: How Do We Take Combined Transport to a New Level?, Wednesday, 10 a.m. – 11 a.m., A3.240