Almost 6.2 m tonnes were carried in 3Q 2023, compared to more than 6.7 m tonnes of intermodal freight in 3Q 2022. It is a year-on-year decrease by 0.6 m tonnes (-8.6%). The transport performance in 3Q 2023 was nearly 2.2 bn tonne-km. Compared to 2.3 bn tonne-km in 3Q 2022, it is a decrease by 0.1 bn tonne-km (-4.5%). However, the results in 3Q 2023 are significantly better than those achieved in 2Q 2023 – the total weight rose by 0.4 m tonnes (+6.5%) and the transport performance by 0.1 bn tonne-km (+7.4%).
From July to September 2023 rail carriers transported over 396,000 intermodal units, which accounted for more than 607,000 TEUs. Compared to the same period last year, the number of units transported fell by 11.2% (in TEU by 15.6%).
The slowdown in intermodal transport growth is mainly caused by the uncertain situation across our eastern border. It is important to develop new potential directions for intermodal rail freight – comments Ignacy Góra, President of the Office of Rail Transport.
In 3Q 2023 rail intermodal transport services were performed by 25 licensed carriers, while in 2Q 2023 by 24 carriers.
A total of 17.7 m tonnes, 1.2 m units, 1.8 m TEUs were transported by intermodal operators in the three quarters of 2023. When compared to the same period last year, these are drops by 11.4% in the weight carried, by 13.3% in the number of units and by 17.8% in the number of TEUs. Such large declines require an implementation of adequate solutions to encourage the return of goods to rail. In order to support the development of intermodal transport, the Ministry of Infrastructure, together with the Office of Rail Transport and PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe S.A., developed recommendations for the introduction of a new support system for intermodal transport. These recommendations were prepared as one of the measures envisaged in the “Directions for the development of intermodal transport until 2023 with an outlook until 2040”. The basic idea of the programme is to introduce special measures to support intermodal trains moving at higher speeds. The document is published on the website of the Ministry of Infrastructure.
Detailed intermodal transport data can be found on our statistical portal at Intermodal transport.