Significantly weak margin with European rail cargo transport

A current study conducted by SCI Verkehr GmbH (Cologne) iluminates the unsatisfactory situation of European cargo transport on the railway: However transport performance of the railway companies have been rising again after the crisis in 2009, but adequate profit remains out of reach for Europe’s enterprises. The reasons therefore are the fierce competition in intermodal prices combined with often economically ruinous road freight traffic on the one hand, but also uneconomical structures of European cargo railways on the other hand. “European railway companies will have to face serious consolidation tasks and will be exposed to a continuous process of concentration during the coming years“, is the result of the study. In 2011 about EUR 18 billion were turned over in European rail cargo transport. This figure is far below the high of about EUR 20 billion reached in 2008, but growth development since the 2009 crisis has been quite positive. However, development of the transport companies’ revenues stayed below the rise of transport performance since 2010, which aggravates the economic situation of the operators. “In spite of current streamlining programs cargo railway companies in European rail cargo traffic are economically inefficient – as opposed to North America“, the study reads.

http://www.sci.de/fileadmin/user_upload/en/pressreleases/pdf/120620_SGVStudie_PM_SCI.pdf