Combined Transport Must Accept a Decline in Shipments in 2024

The economic weakness in Germany and Europe is not without consequences for freight and intermodal transport. In the fiscal year 2024 – the second consecutive year of recession in Germany – Kombiverkehr KG also had to accept slight declines in shipments. Given the difficult economic environment and extensive construction activities on the German rail network – an example being the months-long complete closure of the Riedbahn due to corridor renovation – the Frankfurt operator has managed to hold relatively stable.

(Frankfurt) Kombiverkehr transported a total of around 780,000 containers, swap bodies, and semi-trailers last year, equivalent to about 1.5 million TEU. Compared to the previous year, this represents a volume loss of approximately five percent. The national network accounted for around 180,000 shipments (-3 percent), while approximately 600,000 (-6 percent) shipments were transported internationally. By using climate-friendly rail transport, the company’s customers saved 1.12 million tons of CO2 compared to pure road transport.

Numerous Construction Sites Affect Quality and Increase Costs

The declining volumes on rail and in combined transport (CT) are not surprising but are a result of an overall lower transport volume in national and international freight transport. “Kombiverkehr is also feeling the effects of the deepest economic downturn, which far exceeds the scale of the crisis of 2008/2009,” explains Managing Director Armin Riedl. In addition to lower demand, construction work on rail infrastructure as part of the general renovation posed challenges for the company. “The many construction activities unfortunately come at the expense of quality and often lead to further train delays, which we deeply regret,” emphasizes his colleague, Managing Director Heiko Krebs. “Our customers rightly expect good performance from us, and we will continue to fight hard for that and intensify our efforts with our service providers,” he announces. Kombiverkehr recorded temporary train cancellations of 10 to 15 percent. The focus of the infrastructure work was on the national network. Currently, the Rhine Valley route is closed again, which also affects the Rotterdam/Duisburg–Mortara route. Regarding international traffic, the Tauern route between Salzburg and Villach has been affected by construction work for several weeks. In general, construction sites lead to detours that are associated with higher costs and a reduction in frequency.

New Train Connections, Project Traction Conversion Successfully Implemented

Despite the tense situation, Kombiverkehr managed to introduce new train products in 2024, thereby strengthening the transport corridors to and from Rotterdam as well as to and from Spain and Scandinavia. In March, a new train from Rotterdam to Cologne-Eifeltor started with three round trips per week. In September, a new connection from Antwerp to Irun in Spain followed. From there, there are connections to Madrid eight times a week. At the turn of the year, a train between Duisburg and Hallsberg in Sweden was added. Right in January 2025, Kombiverkehr reactivated a rail connection between Northern Germany and Italy. Since then, there has been a direct train between Lübeck and Verona with two round trips per week. Via Hamburg, the company offers another connection to and from Verona, which operates three times a week in addition.

Kombiverkehr, in collaboration with numerous partners, accomplished a unique feat – the traction conversion project – almost completely silently. In mid-2024, due to an EU procedure against the Federal Republic of Germany, the company reorganized its traction and transferred a large part of the traffic to other railway companies (EVUs). With the combined efforts of all EVUs and its own workforce, the Frankfurt operator mastered and completed this task by February. Kombiverkehr intensified its collaboration with existing EVUs and established additional new partnerships. The conversion was carried out as planned in just about half a year (see press release “Kombiverkehr KG has completed the traction conversion project” from February 19, 2025).

Growing with CT – Insights from a Recent Market Survey

CT is a success model. Intermodal transport chains relieve the environment, contribute to climate protection, are generally predictable for users, can make the economy more resilient, and are a response to the ongoing shortage of truck drivers. Those who use CT can also grow, as a recent survey by the Federal Office for Logistics and Mobility (BALM) among 657 surveyed companies shows. According to this, 56 percent of users have increased their volume in CT over the past ten years. Only 18 percent saw a decrease in tonnage during this period. CT is thus a growth driver for freight forwarders. And the potentials are far from exhausted. Companies operating in CT could handle even more goods by rail and waterway. 77 percent of the surveyed logistics companies and 62 percent of companies from the shipping industry indicate that they could theoretically transport even more goods in CT. The respondents see potential for improvement in intermodal transport regarding punctuality, the condition of the rail infrastructure, reliability, and costs.

The Industry Needs More Predictability and Incentives for the Transition

“All these points can be addressed. The industry needs appropriate framework conditions that favor the use of CT as a climate-friendly transport option,” says Riedl. A recently announced increase in track prices of around 16 percent in the third year of recession is, according to the Frankfurt company, counterproductive and harms the acceptance of intermodal transport. “There is a risk of a shift back to road transport that must be avoided. Price adjustments must be predictable and made with foresight.” The company is now hoping for new impulses after the federal elections. “Combined transport needs the complete exemption of pre- and post-haulage from tolls, as proposed by the EU Commission in the draft of the EU CT directive,” says Riedl. “Those who transport their shipments in an environmentally friendly manner should benefit from a corresponding bonus.”

The current corridor renovations on 40 heavily loaded sections will make the rail network more efficient overall. However, Riedl reiterated the industry’s demands that the additional costs for detour traffic for personnel, energy, and equipment should not be passed on to CT customers, but should be financed from federal funds, as is the case in passenger transport. “Whoever orders the music pays for it,” says Riedl. “Investment funds must continue to flow into the rail transport mode permanently after the completion of construction measures in 2030. Furthermore, we need incentives for investments in terminals. The funding guidelines for this are set, but so far they are not adequately funded for the need for new constructions and reinvestments,” criticizes Krebs.

Photo: © Kombiverkehr