Intermodal transport effective way to achieve EU climate goals 23/07/25
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Intermodal transport is an effective way to achieve EU climate goals
The European Commission has proposed amendments to the EU Climate Law, which establishes a new 90% emissions reduction target. A recently published study shows that the most effective means for achieving climate goals in the transport industry is to increase the share of rail transport in freight and passenger transport.
The European Commission presented its proposal for new climate targets in early July of this year. The proposals are based on recommendations and analyses from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the European Advisory Body on Climate Change. The new proposal introduces changes to the methods for achieving the 2040 target. The main changes concern greater flexibility in the EU ETS and a simplified Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM). A "Clean Industry" State Aid Framework Agreement was also adopted, aimed at supporting the clean energy transition. The European Commission also proposed tax incentives to support decarbonization investments.
"European citizens, increasingly affected by the impacts of climate change, expect Europe to take action. Industry and investors expect us to set a predictable course. Today we demonstrate that we firmly stand by our commitment to decarbonizing the European economy by 2050. The goal is clear, and the path is pragmatic and realistic," commented European Commission President Ursula von den Leyen.
Report on the role of railways
The new EC proposal has been positively assessed by representatives of the rail and intermodal industries. The International Union of Combined Road-Rail Transport (CT4EU) points out that research conducted as part of the "Combined Transport for Europe" initiative shows that the freight transport industry's 90% emission reduction target is achievable today thanks to intermodal solutions.
A report prepared by consulting firm Ernst & Young in collaboration with the European Railway Joint Undertaking shows that increasing rail and intermodal transport not only significantly reduces CO2 emissions and external transport costs but also generates long-term economic benefits and energy savings. Every €1 billion invested in sustainable transport generates €5 billion in social benefits.
Better integration of rail freight into logistics chains could yield €85 billion in savings from reduced congestion and road accidents, and €44 billion in savings from reduced CO2 emissions. Increasing rail's share of freight transport will generate more economic benefits than simply decarbonizing other modes of transport.
"The study also shows that these benefits remain significant even compared to a very ambitious baseline scenario, in which other modes of transport, such as road and inland waterway transport, are completely decarbonized within the study period. The positive results are therefore conservative and represent the lower bound of what could be achieved through a coordinated transition of all modes of transport to net-zero logistics," the report states.