If the intermodal transport sector in Europe is under- pressure for some time now, in the first three months of 2026 the traffic handled by these services recorded an unexpected decline. This was announced by the UIRR, the International Union of Societies of combined road-rail transport, explaining that the strong decrease in intermodal traffic during 2025, mainly in Germany following the total closure of lines managed by DB InfraGO, continued in the first quarter of This year despite - the association noted - the crisis has not had an impact on intermodal transport as as on the road transport sector, which depends on the diesel fuel. The UIRR specified that in the first quarter of 2026 the extensive disruptions to the railway infrastructure have caused a -4.92% drop in the number of shipments carried by services compared to the same period last year.

The general director of the association, Ralf-Charley Schultz, stressed that this is a consequence of the chaos infrastructural activity in progress. To intermodal freight trains - he denounced - adequate alternative lines have not been granted to avoid the sections of railway line completely closed for construction works maintenance in Germany and other European countries. In addition, the excessive operating costs caused by alternative routes, sometimes hundreds of kilometers long and technically inadequate, not have been compensated. Finally, the general weakness of the economy has freed up road transport capacity, making the EU the most attractive road haulage for shippers.