Last year the Hupac Group transported around 975,000 road consignments or 1,866,000 TEU in combined road/rail and maritime hinterland transport. This represents a decrease of about 130,000 consignments or 11.7% compared to the previous year. All transport segments of Hupac's pan-European network were affected by this negative development, albeit to varying degrees. In the core market of transalpine transport through Switzerland, Hupac recorded a comparatively moderate decline of 7.6% to 540,000 road consignments.
According to the Hupac report, the main reason for this negative development is the decline in the demand for transport services in Europe. The recessionary trend started in the autumn of 2022 in connection with Ukraine and the energy crisis and affected large parts of the world economy in the course of 2023.
Compounding the problem, a number of factors are putting increasing pressure on the rail system. First and foremost is the poor quality of the rail network, especially in Germany, due to neglected maintenance and inadequate national and international construction planning. Capacity bottlenecks, delays and cancellations are commonplace on many corridors.
The massive double-digit cost increases in the rail system are also counterproductive. High track and traction costs are out of all proportion to the service provided. "We must do everything possible to stop the trend of shifting traffic back from rail to road," says Michail Stahlhut, CEO of the Hupac Group.
Despite the current difficult economic situation, Hupac is sticking to its strategy of developing climate-friendly combined transport. The European network will be adapted to the market demand according to the situation, says the company: "Longer, heavier trains, efficient terminals, strengthening competition by promoting private railway companies and digital transformation are the most important keywords for the success of combined transport," concludes Stahlhut.
