UIRR notes strong growth in semi-trailer consignments 18/08/21

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UIRR notes strong growth in semi-trailer consignments

News18 Aug 2021by WCN Editorial

Consignments of semi-trailers grew 3.5 times faster than the total growth in rail/road combined transport shipments in Europe in 2020, according to the latest annual report (2020-21) of the UIRR.

Combined transport performed remarkably well in the year mired by the pandemic. Intermodal tonne/kms increased by 6.77% to 89.6 Btkms and there was a 1.02% increase in the number of consignments.

 

The total number of consignments transported in 2020 was 4.56M (9.12M TEU), with UIRR members accounting for more than 50% of the market. This was performed with just 25,000 intermodal wagons, indicating a very high level of wagon productivity.

 

The number of consignments transported by UIRR members between Asia and Europe on the landbridge increased by 31% compared to 2019, to 144,000 units.

 

The absence of passenger traffic on the networks due to the pandemic meant that punctuality performance of combined transport trains could match the unobstructed running of trucks, which were also helped by a sharp fall in automobile traffic.

 

Although the concept of modal shift has been part of EU policy for more than 20 years, only now, with the European Green Deal, can it be said that “the tide seems to be turning…as the unwanted results of decades of inaction are knocking on our door.”

 

The report can be downloaded here.

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