Joint industry position paper on the Combined Transport Directive
Brussels, 15 April 2026 — For logistics and transport operators, as well as for European industry, access to reliable, competitive and predictable freight services by railway, inland waterways and short sea shipping largely depends on a well-functioning Combined Transport system.
Combined Transport (CT) is a key contributor to achieving the EU Green Deal’s ambition, which targets the reduction of transport greenhouse gas emissions by 90% until 2050. Moreover, CT plays a crucial role in improving energy efficiency, reducing road congestion and tackling driver shortages.
Shifting freight from unimodal road freight transport to include rail, inland waterways or short sea shipping is not a plug-and-play exercise. Cargo owners and distributors will use CT more widely only if it is reliable, cost-competitive, and operationally straightforward, supported by adequate infrastructure, sufficient capacity, and end-to-end digital information flows.
The full joint industry position paper can be found below.