Some optimism transpired for the future, as 21% of the companies answering claimed they will or are planning to implement intermodal services to reach ports. These good intentions, however, mostly come from Lombardian respondents (38%). Only 13% of the ones from Veneto pledged to use intermodality while for Emilia Romagna it did not go over 7%.

Changes in causes

One thing that has changed in 2025 are the reasons why customers prefer the road over intermodal. Lower costs remain the main motive, but the percentage changed from 59% in 2024 to 43% last year. On the other hand, reliability and safety and force of habit increased. Companies saying they use the road because they have always done so more than doubled from 17% to 35%. Respondents thinking that road transport is safer and more reliable than intermodal services also grew from 20% in 2024 to 31% in 2025.

This “without a doubt reflects the strength, solvency and viability of the project that we have presented to the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility”, commented the president of the Port Authority of Santander, César Díaz.

Díaz added that the rail highway would be necessary to boost the port’s competitiveness, expand its catchment area and to create a green corridor between central Spain, the UK and northern Europe.

Adif’s turn

“Santander already has significant strengths that alone justify this rail freight corridor”, Díaz is quoted as saying. “We are leaders along the entire northern coast of the Iberian Peninsula in terms of Ro-Ro freight movement and the number of intermodal transport units. Furthermore, we boast the highest rate of rail-port intermodality (15%) in the entire system of ports of general interest.”

The next step in developing this intermodal corridor is the responsibility of Adif. The infrastructure manager should conduct a P400 clearance study. This should identify the necessary adaptations for trains carrying semi-trailers to run on the route.

Rail highways in Spain

Spain currently has rail highways between Barcelona and France, as well as on the Valencia-Madrid-Portugal route. It will likely complete the Algeciras-Zaragoza rail highway by the end of 2026.

Other rail highway projects that are in progress include:

• Seville-Madrid-Zaragoza
• Valencia-Badajoz-Lisbon
• Madrid-Badajoz-Oporto-Lisbon
• Azuqueca-Zaragoza-Tarragona
• Tarragona-Barcelona
• Madrid-Valladolid-Burgos-Vitoria
• Murcia-Madrid
• Cádiz-Madrid
• Tamarite de Litera-Irún/Portbou
• Zaragoza-Pamplona (Noain)-Vitoria (Júndiz)

“The Ministry of Transport expresses its deep satisfaction with this long-awaited measure, which strengthens the Alpine rail highway between Italy and France with a market-based instrument and replaces the previous model based on the monopoly of a single concessionaire, which has been at a standstill for over a year”, the Italian side commented.

The service could restart in September, according to the managing director of the Orbassano interport (SITO), Enzo Pompilio D’Alicandro. It would aim to load up to 100 trucks per direction per day. “Operators are looking with interest at this service, which makes it possible to increase the load by 15% in intermodal mode”, D’Alicandro is quoted as saying in Italian media.

Despite the launch of this regional test, semi-trailer transport on rail is not an entirely new concept in Russia. The first trial operations took place in 2019, and serial production of 4-axle platforms for piggyback transportation has been ongoing since 2020. The first Russian fully-loaded semi-trailer train ran in 2022.

Russian piggyback operations are on the rise. In 2025, its volume across the country grew by 22%. The routes Moscow-Ussuriysk and Moscow-Vladivostok (Far East) saw the number of wagons transported grow to 886, an increase of 28%.

Sanctions drive piggyback transportation

One of the factors supporting the growth of intermodal rail is the continuing pressure of Western-imposed sanctions. “The use of piggyback transportation reduces wear and tear on [trucks and semi-trailers] and cuts repair and maintenance costs”, the Federal Freight Company told Russian media. This RZD subsidiary is primarily a wagon owner, with over 160,000 units in its fleet. “Given the sanctions, solutions aimed at conserving vehicle resources are needed, and piggyback transportation is one such solution”, it says.

However, the reduction of wear and tear through the use of intermodal is not without its obstacles. A structural challenge will sound familiar to European companies: the road remains cheaper than rail. Attracting customers therefore remains difficult, despite the fact that intermodal rail is faster than the road.

“The technology hasn’t yet proven itself for one reason: transporting cargo by road is cheaper than using containerised freight”, commented Pavel Ivankin, President of the Russian National Research Center for Transportation and Infrastructure.

“Russian Railways has a mandatory infrastructure payment for everyone.” Road transport does not pay a comparable compensation. “If road transport will get a different level of transparency in the future, it’s entirely possible that containerised freight will increase demand, at least on long-haul routes. Until then, we can only talk about the implementation of a pilot project, which isn’t even reflected in the [financial statements].”

Novi Sad is the first terminal in Serbia to offer this kind of regular intermodal connection to Western Europe, says DP World.

An answer to road challenges

This new intermodal rail service is a response to increasing regulatory and operational pressures on long-haul road transport between Serbia and Western Europe, the Emirati company elaborates. Unpredictable transit times and growing exposure to European Union road freight rules, including the Entry/Exit System (EES) and stricter driver mobility requirements, are making intermodal rail a more attractive option.

“As regulatory requirements for road transport continue to evolve across the European Union, customers are seeking solutions that offer greater speed, predictability and lower administrative complexity. Intermodal rail offers all three, while also delivering measurable carbon savings”, said Vladica Ćulafić, Chief Commercial Officer at DP World Novi Sad.

The expansion will be implemented in early April. It will help to grow the capacity of the company’s French connection between the English Channel and the Mediterranean Sea. CargoBeamer will start offering daily departures in both directions.

With a transit time of 26 hours, the Calais-Perpignan route is open for all semi-trailers, including non-craneable ones. In the northbound direction, the connection provides access to North Sea ports. In the opposite direction, freight can reach southern France and northern Spain.

Also in Germany

At the same time, Captrain has announced the introduction of a new service in Germany in cooperation with LIT Speditions. As part of their SmartRail Logistics joint venture, daily train service has been introduced between the Roland Terminal in Bremen and the Port of Stuttgart. This new connection enhances the existing intermodal network, specifically targeting industrial and commercial enterprises along the key north-south corridor.

Rail transport, handled by Captrain, includes connections to the abovementioned main terminals as well as Bremen-Sebaldsbrück and Sindelfingen. LIT coordinates the pre- and post-carriage by truck.

“With the new connection, we can reliably, quickly, and flexibly cover diverse logistics needs on this important corridor”, commented Jérôme Méline, Managing Director of Captrain Germany and SmartRail Logistics. “Whether large or small shipments, conventional or intermodal freight, with or without rail sidings: Together with SmartRail, we enable suitable logistics solutions for a wide range of companies, products, and logistics requirements.”

The Hamburg port achieved a 7.3% growth in the container segment in 2025 – much more than Rotterdam (+3.1%) and Antwerp (+0.7%).

TEU versus tonnes

Container growth in Hamburg distinguishes itself even more from Rotterdam when taking volumes into consideration. Yes, there was growth in Rotterdam in terms of TEU, but the tonnage metric fell by 0.2%. “More import containers, lower export volumes due to the weakened European competitiveness, and the decline in transhipment led to increased transhipment of empty containers”, says the Rotterdam port.

By contrast, Hamburg achieved growth in tonnages too – by no less than 4.6%. While the port did not disclose its container tonnage figure for 2025, it likely sits at around 81 million tonnes. Antwerp and Rotterdam still lead the way in Europe with 149.5 and 133.2 million tonnes respectively.

Where does Hamburg’s growth come from? It was Asian exporters in particular that reached Hamburg more and more often. At the same time, policymakers in the White House severely damaged the transatlantic business with their tariffs.

“Lanzi Trasporti is a key partner in making this route possible by managing the local operations. Their expertise and commitment to quality made them the ideal partner for this route between Italy and Sweden, delivering efficient, reliable and sustainable logistics that the market demands”, commented Marjut Linnajärvi, VP, International Rail Operations and Sales at Nurminen Logistics.

The enthusiasm seems to be no less among the Italians. “This development”, says CEO Leonardo Lanzi, “is something we have worked on for a long time. For us, it is not just a new and strategic service, but a real step up in the quality of our offering. It marks the transition from established conventional intermodality to the full handling of load units via complete, dedicated trains.”

A more complete service offering

Lanzi’s container management services have taken place on mixed trains up until now. With the Parma-Örebro service, the company is introducing full dedicated trains. That allows Lanzi to offer greater loading capacity and greater punctuality.

However, as the Italian company points out, the real challenge lies in the so-called last-mile operations. “Many Italian companies do not have loading bays for direct container unloading; for this reason, we go beyond rail transport, taking care of every aspect of the supply chain and aiming for high performance at every stage”, the company writes. The service offers complementary unloading and storage services and distribution in both Italy and Sweden.

From containers to semi-trailers

For the time being, Nurminen and Lanzi offer their service to containers only. However, they are planning to extend the service offering to semi-trailers already in 2026. That will allow them to capture more freight from the road sector. “More on this very soon”, says Lanzi.

“This connection is not only a new achievement for Lanzi Trasporti, but also a real opportunity for many companies in Northern Italy. We encourage them to get in touch with us to explore the advantages of this rail bridge bringing Italy closer to Northern Europe”, Lanzi Trasporti adds.

The Italy-Sweden service was preceded by a long period of preparations. It is made possible by Lanzi Trasporti investments over the past two years, which saw the construction of new tracks to expand manoeuvering capacity. It also added a container storage and management area.

Connection to Rotterdam

The newly acquired terminal at Chemelot, an industrial zone that hosts many chemical companies, in the southern province of Limburg currently primarily serves freight trains from Italy. They will soon be supplemented by trains from Rotterdam. BTT will launch a direct rail link between the Dutch seaport and Chemelot for containers bound for the Limburg region.

Versteijnen doesn’t have any customers for the terminal yet, but he’s not worried about that. Discussions are underway with shipping companies and freight forwarders, and the director expects strong interest. “With the acquisition, we can serve an area from [the region of] West Brabant to South Limburg under a single banner.” BTT already operates several other rail and inland ports in the other southern province, Brabant.

“You see more and more shippers preparing for the truck levy. And that number will only increase. We want to be ready to absorb those volumes”, says Versteijnen.

Truck toll

BTT also transports goods by road, accounting for approximately 10% of all shipments. These are primarily short distances, such as collecting and delivering containers at the seaport terminals in Rotterdam. The company expects the truck toll to have little impact on these and other short journeys.

The consequences of the truck toll will be significant for many companies. According to a recent analysis by the accountancy association SRA, carriers that don’t pass the additional costs of the levy on to customers will retain a margin of only 1.52% after implementation, compared to 7.11% in 2024. The trade association Transport en Logistiek Nederland is urging carriers to discuss the rising costs with customers and partners in a timely manner.

This article was originally published by our sister publication NT.nl.

The total rail freight volume in the Netherlands in 2025 amounted to 38.1 million tonnes. This includes imports, exports, domestic and transit traffic and is a 4% (-1.6 million tonnes) decline compared to 2024.

In similar fashion to 2023 and 2024, the volume of coal has shrunk significantly. In 2024, 5 million tonnes of coal were transported on the Dutch rail network. Last year, this number fell by another 30% to 3.5 million tonnes. The huge impact of this trend on the overall volume is clear: the decrease in coal transportation of 1.5 million tonnes covers the vast majority of the total decline of 1.6 million tonnes.

Likewise, the volume of liquid bulk contracted by 0.3 million tonnes (-5%). Breakbulk and dry bulk both fell by around 0.1 million tonnes.

Intermodal stands, but does it stand strong?

By contrast, the intermodal segment has grown slightly, from 17.9 million tonnes in 2024 to 18.2 million tonnes in 2025. That is a cautiously positive development. As rail freight loses volumes in traditional segments, the intermodal sector provides new business opportunities.

However, as ProRail points out, intermodal is not risk-free. It is partially dependent on world trade. The inflow of containers in, for instance, the Port of Rotterdam rises when trade barriers are low and vice versa. Intermodal is also sensitive to supply chain disruptions, such as the inaccessibility of the Suez Canal or container shortages. Lastly, the competitiveness of rail compared with other modes of transport plays an important role in the size of intermodal rail.

A notable development concerns the growing popularity of the “rocktainer ore”: iron ore transported in intermodal loading units. At the same time, ProRail records a decline in ore transportation in conventional loading units, indicating a shift from one type of loading unit to another. The total volume transported in ILUs increased by 4% to 21.7 million tonnes. They now account for a 57% share of the entire rail freight volume.

Single wagonload on the decline

It appears that single wagonload (SWL) operations in the Netherlands are subject to some of the same pressures as elsewhere in Europe. SWL accounts for around half of the decline in the number of freight trains that cross the border with Germany. In total, 2,050 fewer trains crossed the border in 2025 compared to 2024. An important cause of this development is the switch from SWL trains to block trains, says ProRail.

Block trains are cheaper and faster for shippers, who are now choosing to send entire trains less frequently as opposed to a couple of wagons every day. The consequence is that SWL services operate with lower frequencies or are cancelled altogether, the Dutch infrastructure manager explains.