The number of combined transport consignments in Europe in the last quarter of 2024 was 2.85 per cent higher than the same period in 2023. All in all, it seems that this transport modality had a solid year, and expectations from 2025 are quite positive, as Chief Policy Advisor at UIRR Akos Ersek pointed out.
The main factors behind this combined transport growth in Q4 last year were the reopening of the Gotthard Base Tunnel in September and the reinstatement of traffic in the Valencia area after a wave of extreme weather events, according to UIRR. With positive figures in two quarters of 2024, combined transport is likely to have recorded a year-on-year growth compared to 2023, as Ersek also pointed out.
Quarterly trends of combined transport consignments in 2024 compared to 2023
Q1: -3,89%
Q2: +4,25%
Q3: -0.79%
Q4: +2.85%
Moderate optimism for 2025
Ersek remains optimistic for 2025, considering that in a few weeks the Frejus railway, the main rail axis between Italy and France will reopen after roughly one and a half years, allowing the restart of important rail services. The general sentiment in the industry, however, remained ‘neutral’, according to the UIRR CT Sentiment Index. This somewhat cautious view for this current year is caused by “the large number of works sites on the railway infrastructure coupled with sluggish manufacturing performance of the European economy”, UIRR stated.