Intermodal trains, i.e. freight trains transporting intermodal loading units (ILU), constitute the only consistently growing production system of rail freight. Basing freight transport on the use of ILUs - containers, swap bodies and (craneable) semi-trailers - is a prerequisite to economically shifting cargo from road to more sustainable modes of transport over long(er) distances. UIRR member Combined Transport operators and Transhipment Terminal Managers have an inherent interest in boosting the quality performance of rail freight, which is critical for the competitiveness of their transport services.