Despite a positive 2024 for European combined transport, the industry is still in a somewhat fragile position. The lack of alternative routes, a high number of infrastructure works and a reverse modal shift to the road are putting the stability of the supply chain on the north-south axis at risk.
These were the main conclusions of the session organised by Fermerci, the Italian rail freight association, at the transport logistics fair in Munich earlier this week. Bernhard Kunz, vice president of Fermerci, highlighted how there has been a reversal modal shift to the road since 2022, especially across the Alps.
Data provided by Kunz showed that almost all parameters of combined transport are getting worse. Between 2016 and 2024 train punctuality significantly dropped from 75% to 48%, average delays tripled from five to 15 hours and the number of cancellations spiked, from 7% to 23%. This unreliability is causing a decrease in the modal split of transalpine rail freight transport, which in Switzerland fell from 72% to 70.3% between 2023 and 2024.
‘Infrastructure, infrastructure, infrastructure’
If the economy picks up again and more goods will need to be moved, the lack of truck drivers will cause an increased demand for rail services, Kunz explained. “If we are not ready, this will lead to the collapse of our supply chain”, he stressed, pointing out that the main needs concern “infrastructure, infrastructure and infrastructure”.
For example, Kunz highlighted that 4,000 trucks are moved by rail between Italy and Switzerland every day. If during one day only a quarter of the goods can be transported, for example due to infrastructure works, businesses in Italy are going to miss products for 3,000 trucks and exporters will not be able to ship their products, he said.
‘Better European coordination is needed’
Another issue brought up by Fermerci is the need for better cooperation and on a European level. Important infrastructure upgrades are underway or planned all over the continent, especially along the Rhine-Alpine axis. Giuseppe Rizzi, the association’s general manager, pointed out that the Italian infrastructure manager RFI is doing a nice job in planning these works and the consequent interruptions of traffic.
“Unfortunately, the same shared planning logic is not yet sufficiently applied in other European countries, causing critical issues for cross-border flows”, he added. For example, the Generalsanierung programme in Germany, which aims at improving the country’s rail infrastructure, has been drawing significant criticism from all over the continent.
Combined transport performed well
Despite all these issues, combined transport in Europe showed some resilience. After a negative performance in 2023, mostly due to the closures of the Gotthard and Frejus axis, the sector rebounded in 2024. Andrea De Bernardi, member of the board of directors at UIRR, once again presented the data, highlighting how consignments grew by 5,19% and performance in tonne-kilometres increased by 8,41%.
On the other hand, De Bernardi agreed with Rizzi’s pledge for better coordination at a European level, also when it comes to national industry associations. “Recently sector associations in Italy started to gather and sound as one common voice. For us it is fundamental that single member states would be internally aligned”, De Bernardi stated.