Crisis in rail freight transport: industry struggles for growth and market share – impulses from combined transport and digitalisation
European rail freight transport is amid a profound crisis. Disruptions in U.S. foreign policy and shifts in global trade are colliding with an industry already facing structural weaknesses. Key causes include declining demand for traditional goods (coal, steel, chemicals), insufficiently digitised infrastructure, and increasing transformation pressure from EU competition policy. Profitable companies remain the exception, and rail continues to lose market share to road transport.
