For years, combined transport has been the backbone of climate-friendly logistics. But now a massive slump is looming: trains are arriving late or being cancelled, costs are rising, and with the upcoming corridor renovations, capacity is dramatically decreasing.
For the coming years, we expect a 20 to 30 % decrease in rail freight capacity – and hundreds of thousands of additional truck journeys.
On the major Alpine transit corridors via Austria and Switzerland alone, this amounts to around 500,000 additional truck shipments – with more emissions, more traffic jams, and a higher risk of accidents.
What moves to the streets usually doesn't come back – and Germany loses strength.
Combined transport moves millions of truckloads from the road to the rail every year – reliably, safely, and environmentally friendly. Without it, many supply chains would be unthinkable.
But reality is tipping:
- punctuality is declining
- Trains are being canceled
- the costs are rising
- and the corridor renovations bring months of complete closures without functioning detours.
5.6 million truckloads per year – and each one is at risk.
When capacity is lacking, reliability decreases, and costs rise, companies shift their transportation to the road – often permanently.
That means:
- more traffic jams
- more accident risks
- more CO₂
- endangered supply chains
- higher logistics costs
- weakened competitiveness.
The numbers are clear: Even a 30% repatriation would cause an additional 1.3 million tons of CO₂ and burden key industries.
Germany is facing a logistical and ecological crossroads.
The initiative "Save Combined Transport" gives the industry a unified voice. We highlight the consequences of the current developments – and what politics and infrastructure operators must do now to prevent a collapse.
Our demands:
- stable and predictable framework conditions
- reliable transport capacities during the construction phases
- functioning, marketable detours
- fair route prices
- an infrastructure development that does not hinder logistics and industry.
We are ready for constructive dialog – together with companies, associations, and partners from the entire industry.
The initiators of the initiative have started a petition to give even more weight to the political demands. Add your voice to support combined transport and help draw even greater attention to the industry's concerns. Together for Combined Transport!
Take every opportunity that presents itself to address the current situation in rail freight transport at the regional level. In a personal conversation or in writing. This way, the topics and demands of the initiative are brought from all regions to Berlin. We are happy to support you in this.
We invite you to support the initiative with your logo and, if desired, a brief statement. This way, you are making a statement for supply security, climate protection, and a strong economic location.
Please send your logo and, if applicable, a statement and portrait photo to unternehmenskommunikation@kombiverkehr.de
We are happy to support you with graphic templates for your communication.
