Newsletters

The latest Market Monitoring Report from the Independent Regulators Group (IRG) confirms a notable shift in the European rail freight landscape: in 2023, new market entrants - often referred to as "challengers" - accounted for 55% of the market. This milestone reflects a steady growth trend, with the market share of competitors rising from 33% in 2019 to 40% in 2023, despite an overall decline in total rail freight volumes last year.

This continued growth of challengers confirms the added value of competition in the rail freight sector. However, it also comes at a time when incumbents such as DB Cargo and Hexafret (formerly SNCF Fret) are being forced to scale down activities due to EU Competition law rulings.

Whilst these developments are encouraging, the market share of challengers varies significantly across Member States. National barriers hindering cross-border rail freight remain a persistent obstacle to the seamless development of international services.

At the same time, rail freight volumes are under pressure, with 2023 seeing a drop due to multiple challenges: extensive infrastructure works, continued competition from road transport, and a sluggish European industrial economy. To reverse this decline and create conditions for future growth, there must be a stronger emphasis on infrastructure capacity improvements, better planning of works, and reductions in regulatory burdens.

A key concern for operators remains the predictability of infrastructure works and temporary capacity restrictions. Member States must commit to providing stable, multiannual funding to infrastructure managers and ensure that works are designed and executed in a manner that minimises disruption to freight operators.

As CLECAT continues to advocate for efficient, competitive and sustainable freight transport, we will closely monitor developments in rail freight and push for policies that allow both established and emerging operators to thrive in a fair and competitive environment.

Source ERFA