Combined Transport closes 2025 with a positive result
Brussels, 21 May 2026 — The General Assembly of UIRR closed the business year of the sector and of its Brussels-based association. The key figures of 2025 reflect both encouraging and disappointing figures:
- 1,5% growth in the number of consignments transported, which matches the GDP growth of the EU in 2025, and a slightly higher 2,2% growth in the number of tonne-kilometres.
- Very strong performance from French domestic Combined Transport due to new terminals enabling the launching of new transport services.
- Major loss of domestic and transiting intermodal volumes in Germany.
- Continued investment into intermodal assets manifested through the expansion of the intermodal wagon fleet.
“Corridor renovations in Germany, also known as Generalsanierung, involve months-long full closures and offer insufficient transport capacity on diversion routes. These threaten the very survival of Combined Transport and result in substantial additional costs. A detour of 500 kilometres, mainly abroad with high additional costs, can add 12 hours to the total journey. As a result, operators’ equipment and customers’ cargo are tied up for an extra day. A complete closure of individual routes over a prolonged period is disastrous from a macroeconomic perspective. Goods cannot be transported at all, or only with massive delays.” – stated Michail Stahlhut, CEO of the Hupac Group and Chairman of UIRR until the end of 2025.
“Developing intermodal supply chains is essential to both connecting European industrial production networks and supplying European citizens by the smartest and most sustainable mode of transport. Enabling European industries and supporting the European Single Market remains our key objective.” – announced Jürgen Albersmann, CEO of Contargo and current Chairman of UIRR’s Board of Directors.
The General Assembly acknowledged the retirement of Michail Stahlhut from the UIRR Board of Directors and elected Britta Weber, his successor at the helm of the Hupac Group, as a member of UIRR’s Board of Directors from 1 July 2026.
The vision of the UIRR Combined Transport Community is that Door-to-Door Combined Transport functions as the backbone of European freight logistics. UIRR, in close collaboration with the Combined Transport for Europe Campaign (www.ct4eu.eu), will continue to strive for the recognition of Combined Transport as a mode of transport in its own right.
The press release and the UIRR Report 2025-26 can be downloaded below
“A difficult and challenging year resulted in growth that kept up the pace with the European GDP. Had the excessive disruptions not occurred in Germany and some other European countries, the result could have been even better. The UIRR Community looks forward to a future of intermodal rail freight functioning seamlessly within Door-to-Door Combined Transport chains.” – declared UIRR Director General, Ralf-Charley Schultze.