Why is rail freight transport so important today?

Ruckes: Greenhouse gas emissions in the transportation sector have not been reduced for decades. It will be a long time before the electric and hydrogen technologies needed for decarbonization are widely adopted and cost-effective. So, to be honest, we can only meet the 2030 climate targets if we shift significantly more freight to rail, which reduces CO2 emissions by 80 percent compared to road transport and is also five times more energy-efficient.

What is combined transport?

In combined transport (CT), load units (containers, swap bodies, or semi-trailers) are transported over longer distances by rail or waterway. The truck is used only for the shortest possible distance to transport the loading units to a transshipment terminal or to pick them up from there and take them to their final location.

Combined transport can be seen as the key to a greater shift toward rail. This segment is experiencing the highest growth rates—clear evidence of its success. Here, many different providers offer competitive solutions through an intelligent combination of road and rail that meet today’s transportation requirements.

Not all shippers and freight forwarders share this view. Concerns have been raised that rail—including combined transport—does not have sufficient capacity for increased freight transport.

These are indeed challenges, but we must address them from various angles. The capacity issue is being addressed, although expansion will still take a long time. In the short to medium term, the 740m network, faster digitization, and procedural changes—such as improvements in terminal operations or greater collaboration through partnerships—will help. Equally important is the willingness to seek compromise solutions: perhaps I won’t get my preferred slot for the route or at the terminal, but I might be able to travel at a different time. Such matters must be explored through dialogue.

Improving quality is a challenge that the rail sector must address in very concrete terms. Here, we repeatedly experience significant setbacks—for example, due to track closures, severe weather, or—most recently—construction site management. In addition to concrete measures such as optimized planning and coordination with all stakeholders, faster response times to disruptions, and improved information sharing, we advocate —just as with capacity—to seek dialogue with shippers and freight forwarders and to make it clear that exactly the same standards cannot be applied across the board to different modes of transport. Rail simply has certain limitations. As a shipper, I can take this into account, for example, by adjusting my supply chain.

Do you think shippers are willing to make these compromises?

First of all, we actually take shippers at their word: when they tell us that climate change is the greatest challenge of our time, we expect them to step outside their comfort zone and consider all possibilities for using climate-friendly rail. Of course, we’re not naive enough to believe that shippers will now switch to rail “at any cost,” and naturally there are shipments for which rail doesn’t (yet) offer a suitable solution. But we’re seeing that an increasing number of shippers are successfully utilizing combined transport in particular. This is an issue we want to examine more closely as part of our “Commit2Rail” initiative: Why has a particular shipper managed to establish a clear strategy for rail transport, while its direct competitor has not—even though both have the same transport requirements?

What does a concrete “best practice” proposal from shift2030 look like?

For example, as part of the “Match2Rail” initiative, we’ve developed a digital platform in collaboration with our partner digi-trust that allows shippers to easily match their transport flows (door-to-door) with existing intermodal connections. At the same time, we bundle shipment volumes for which there is currently no attractive offer and form so-called “virtual trains” to create new connections based on them. This gives shippers an overview of suitable intermodal carriers for their shipments and also expands the range of options available in combined transport.

About shift2030

The non-profit initiative shift2030 works on innovative practical projects designed to increase the competitiveness of rail freight transport and provide new impetus. Using best practices, the initiative aims to demonstrate how the shift to rail can be successfully achieved. As an open network, shift2030 invites all stakeholders—including freight forwarders and shippers—to participate.