2023 promises to be a historic year for the European Combined Transport sector for several reasons:

• Sectoral challenges: decarbonisation,  decoupling from fossil fuels, energy efficiency improvement, truck driver shortage, digitalisation roll-out

• Ongoing crises: traction electricity price and infrastructure works-related rail traffic disruptions, maritime intermodal delays / port congestion

• Legislative opportunities: ongoing TEN-T amendment, upcoming Greening Freight Package of EU legislative proposals

UIRR is active in crisis mitigation, eagerly collaborates in defining the path to counter the challenges, and is prepared to assist the EU legislator to revamp the regulatory framework of inland freight transportation.

2023 dawned on an unusual peak of simultaneous crises and challenges, which every sector of the economy is confronted with.  Decades of stability have been replaced by highly testing circumstances that require out-of-the-box thinking and immediate action.  The sooner we find the path and the faster we embark on it, the earlier we can experience much desired security and stability.

When it comes to inland freight transportation, the challenges and crises have a common, low risk, affordable and proven solution: door-to-door Combined Transport.

Decisionmakers of a rapidly increasing number of  economic actors realise this and search for the right Combined Transport solution to their longer distance freight transportation needs.  Transport-, energy-, climate-and environmental policymakers in EU member states and on a European Union level must support this drive.  2023 will offer several opportunities to act through the ongoing amendment of the TEN-T Guidelines Regulation and the various components of the Greening Freight Package including the Rail Infrastructure Capacity Management Initiative and the recast of the Combined Transport Directive.

“The CT4EU Campaign (Combined Transport for Europe), launched by UIRR in 2021, has delivered the studies on which decisions can be based.  2023 will be the year when transport policymakers can put Europe on the affordable, low risk and highly efficient path to resolving the issues of freight transportation.” – highlighted UIRR President Ralf-Charley Schultze.