The Kombiverkehr GmbH & Co. KG reports a nuanced balance for the financial year 2024. Despite a decline in volume, the company has been able to stabilize the network and achieve a positive annual result, it said.
Decline in Volume Despite Network StabilizationIn the past financial year, the operator transported 769,733 truck consignments (1.54 million TEU) from road and waterways to the climate-friendly rail in its network, where one consignment corresponds to the capacity of a truck or semi-trailer. Compared to the previous year, transport volume decreased by 5.6 percent.
Within Germany, 181,157 trailers, containers, and swap bodies were transported (-3.0 percent), while internationally across all countries, it was 588,576 (-6.4 percent). Significant shipment gains were achieved in traffic with Spain (+12.6 percent), France (+13.7 percent), and Poland (+46.4 percent).
Southern Europe AreaIn the operator's most important business field, a total of 294,879 consignments were transported on direct trains between Germany and Italy via Switzerland and via Austria, as
well as in bilateral Germany-Switzerland traffic. This corresponds to a decline of 6.9 percent compared to the previous year. The corridor via Brenner accounted for 215,654 consignments, with a loss of 1.5 percent.
This keeps the Southern Europe area as the company's highest-volume traffic segment with a share of just under forty percent of the total volume. Transport volume in the Benelux traffic for 2024, contrary to the general trend, increased by 0.9 percent compared to the volume of the comparative year 2023. Overall, 97,841 consignments were transported on trains between Belgium or the Netherlands and Italy and Germany.
With 106,417 consignments transported, the traffic with Scandinavia via Baltic Sea ports and over the fixed crossing was also the second-strongest international distribution area for Kombiverkehr in the 2024 financial year. The declines in volume on this axis amount to 12.8 percent compared to the previous year and are partly due to the fact that the connections Hamburg – Taulov
and Coevorden – Malmö were discontinued due to weak market demand.
The challenges, such as the economic downturn and the cancellation of numerous train departures, were particularly high in 2024, according to the company. Managing Director Armin Riedl:
"Nevertheless, we held up well overall, both in terms of volume and economic results. We stabilized our train offerings despite the circumstances. Throughout the entire year, we were able to provide our customers with almost unrestricted access to both national and international routes and even expand some of them."
Readjustment of TrafficDespite the tense situation, Kombiverkehr managed to introduce new offers in 2024, according to its own statements. In March, a new train started from Rotterdam to Cologne-Eifeltor with three round trips per week. In September, a new connection from Antwerp via Irun to Madrid followed. And at the turn of the year, a train between Duisburg and Hallsberg in Sweden was added.
In January 2025, Kombiverkehr also reactivated the direct
train between Lübeck and Verona with two round trips per week, while nationally some consolidation took place. In traffic between Belgium and Italy, the Gent – Mortara route was switched to a new route via France in December 2024, particularly considering the multiple Rhine Valley closures in 2025.
Current List of DemandsNevertheless, Kombiverkehr KG demands the following from the new federal government for fair competition between rail and road:
- Building under the rolling wheel
- Planning security regarding the availability of investment funds (terminals)
- Equal competitive conditions for long-distance road freight transport concerning cancellation rules, infrastructure access costs, and financial securities
- Implementation of a CT lane oriented towards the conditions of long-distance road freight transport
- Exemption from road tolls in pre- and post-routing
The operator suggests the following immediate measures:
- Waiving of track price increases for CT trains in 2026
- Suspending the cancellation fee regulation for tracks for CT trains in 2026
- Compensation payments for diversions due to high-performance corridor
