The share of rail freight transport is projected to double until 2050

The share of rail freight transport is projected to double until 2050. In order to handle the growing volumes, a public investment of 490 billion euros is needed into the TEN-T rail infrastructure. This comes down to 16.3 billion euros per year. Such is the conclusion of a study called the Roadmap to Zero Carbon Combined Transport 2050, presented by d-fine on behalf of the UIRR on Wednesday 30 November.

Based on the growth prognosis of rail freight in the EU, the rail freight volumes counted in tonne-kilometres are expected to triple by 2050, from 400 in 2020 to 1,150 tonne-kilometre per year. Combined transport will grow even faster: by 360 per cent over the coming 30 years.

As a result of the increasing transport volumes on rail, the number of freight trains is projected to double: from 6,100 in 2020 to 13,800 in 2050. And as the number of truck journeys is expected to decrease, the modal split of rail will grow too: from the current 22 per cent to 44 per cent.