There is some good news for rail freight and intermodality coming from Hungary: container movements and the rail transport of semi-trailers are steadily increasing. “The Hungarian intermodal sector is facing a change of pace”, said Hungarian logistics association MLSZKSZ.
Last year, 27,913 semi-trailers were moved by freight trains, a 21.3% increase compared to 2023, MLSZKSZ stated. The growth is continuing in 2025. During the first quarter of the year, there was a further 14% rise, according to the country’s rail freight consortium Hungrail.
Container surge
Concerning the container market, the second quarter of 2025 brought a staggering 114% increase compared to the same period last year. “Behind the growth are factory construction investments, the expansion of international e-commerce, a small recovery in household consumption, and the expansion of the automotive supplier base”, MLSZKSZ said.
However, the association pointed out that the positive developments in the container segment are accompanied by a few challenges. Most importantly, port congestion in Hamburg and Koper, but also railway renovation projects which are putting more pressure on road haulage and creating delays.
Conventional traffic still struggles
Despite these positive trends for intermodal transport, the industry as a whole is still experiencing some tough times. More ‘conventional’ rail freight is dipping both domestically and internationally due to significantly higher costs, especially for track access charges. During the first quarter of 2025, the domestic performance dropped by 24.8%, while the international one decreased by 11.9% compared to Q1 in 2024.