In 2022, more than 44 million tons of goods will be transported by rail, which is 4% more than the previous year. It is the heaviest weight carried by rail, and this is due to the increase in the transport of coal and containers. “This is probably temporary,” says TNO’s Senior Business Consultant for Logistics Jaco van Meijeren.
According to Van Meijeren, the German energy supply is the key concept in this. There is less gas and oil, at the same time German industry and power plants have to run at full capacity due to the war in Ukraine. And this explains the sharp increase in the share of coal in rail transport. And why the railway? According to Van Meijeren, most of Germany’s power plants are not located on a waterway, which means that inland waterway is no longer a mode of transport.
“If you assume a sizable increase, you will quickly run into bottlenecks on various routes”
containers
In addition to coal, container shipping also jumped by 5%. Van Meijeren believes that more rail transport is desirable: it is by far the most sustainable mode of transport and relieves road congestion so as to increase accessibility. If rail is to become an attractive mode, several prerequisites apply: it must be affordable, flexible and reliable. “And that’s not always the case. There are still some challenges there.”
And last but not least, there has to be room on the rail network to handle those extra volumes. And there is none: there is a shortage of personnel, there is competition with passenger rail transport. If you assume a sizable bump, you’ll quickly run into bottlenecks on various rides, says Van Meijeren. Like the competition from passenger transport, which is a ship communicating with the freight transport.
What can be done? After all, expanding capacity costs hundreds of millions. TNO is studying how to better use the available infrastructure through automation and digitalisation.
Source: BNR
Andrew Dwight is an author and economy journalist who writes for 24 News Globe. He has a deep understanding of financial markets and a passion for analyzing economic trends and news. With a talent for breaking down complex economic concepts into easily understandable terms, Andrew has become a respected voice in the field of economics journalism.
