The International Union for Road-Rail Combined Transport (UIRR) has pointed to terminal capacity as a critical bottleneck for expanding rail-based intermodal freight in Europe. The association’s position is based on a recent European Commission study on modal shift potential and on the new TEN-T Regulation, which introduces binding requirements for multimodal freight terminals.
The Commission study identified around 200,000 long-distance road freight flows with potential to move to intermodal transport. However, UIRR notes that more than half of NUTS3 regions in several Member States still lack adequate access to intermodal terminals, limiting the practical use of rail for combined transport.
Under the revised TEN-T framework, Member States must carry out national terminal capacity studies by July 2027 and prepare action plans for terminal development. UIRR argues that terminals should be treated as gateways to the TEN-T rail network, requiring sufficient transhipment capacity, rail access for 740-metre trains and digital systems for data exchange.
According to UIRR, without coordinated investment in terminals and access tracks, the number of regions underserved by intermodal rail options could increase further by 2040, weakening the EU’s objective of shifting long-distance freight from road to rail.