The European Federation for the Transport of Chemical Products ECTA recently published its 2025 annual report. This shows, among other things, that the share of road transport has been continuously increasing since 2020.
In 2020, intermodal transport accounted for just over 50% of all volumes transported by ECTA members. Since then, this share has systematically decreased and in 2024 the market share of intermodal transport was only 42.1%. “The downward trend in intermodal transport continued in 2024 and became even stronger. Given the lack of harmonization between different national rail infrastructures and the unreliability of intermodal delivery options in general, it is difficult to imagine that this trend will reverse,” ECTA said.
However, the federation is trying to create more favorable conditions for the modal shift, in particular by developing digitalization projects with two European railway federations: the UIRR (intermodal transport) and the ERFA (freight transport by rail). In 2025, a joint working group was established to lay the foundation for efficient digital cooperation throughout the intermodal logistics chain, with the aim of further improving the competitiveness of intermodal transport and reducing the administrative costs of this mode of transport. In practice, this would involve harmonizing data exchange related to the intermodal reservation process, the ‘door-to-door GATE-IN and GATE-OUT’ processes and the operational interactions between logistics providers, intermodal operators, terminals and railway undertakings.
