Leading companies and industry associations have joined forces in the Save Combined Transport initiative, declaring the critical state of rail freight transport. The initiative was prompted by an open letter to Federal Transport Minister Patrick Schneider and DB management, which states that disruptions on the railway undermine the foundations of sustainable and efficient logistics and lead to long-term consequences for the economy and climate.
The combined transport system, which replaces approximately 6 million truck journeys annually in Germany, is under pressure from train cancellations, declining punctuality, rising fares, and lengthy network closures during major upgrades. The lack of available alternative routes is already leading to freight being rerouted to roads, which could add over 1 million truck journeys and 1.3 million tonnes of CO₂ if the system is scaled back by at least 30%.
The initiative calls on authorities to ensure stable operating conditions, available capacity during maintenance, competitive fares, and infrastructure development without compromising logistics and industry. The website save-combined-transport.com contains information on the risks and impacts of corridor repairs, and has launched a petition that businesses and citizens can join to give the issue political visibility.