The International Union for Road-Rail Combined Transport (UIRR) has summarized the results for the European market in 2024. The volume of multimodal freight traffic in Europe increased by 5.19% compared to 2023. An even more significant increase of 8.41% was recorded in freight tonne-kilometers.
According to UIRR data, the largest growth—10.6%—was observed in domestic traffic, particularly in France and Poland.
In comparison, cross-border traffic did not show such a high increase—only 2.74%, which UIRR attributes mainly to ongoing rail infrastructure works in Germany, especially along the north-south axis, resulting in frequent train cancellations. As for the detour routes, they were often very long and poorly equipped, leading to higher operational costs.
Overall, conditions for the European multimodal transport sector have been difficult over the past two years, particularly due to the closure of the Mont Cenis (Fréjus) base tunnel from August 2023 to March 2025 due to a landslide, as well as the closure of the western tube of the Gotthard base tunnel from August 2023 to September 2024.
Multimodal transport in Europe increased by 1.76% in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024.
