Freight

Freight transport accounts for 6% of European GDP, with over 19 billion tonnes of goods transported every year. While the sector’s overall contribution to the economy is positive, it has a substantial impact on the environment. 75% of all freight transport is currently performed by road, with an estimated annual emission of 275 million tonnes of CO2. This represents 30% of total transport emissions for all freight and passenger transport. Freight transport is expected to grow 30% by 2030. This growth will add around one million trucks to European roads over the next decade. Looking beyond Europe, the tremendous growth potential offered by landbridges is evident. Rail has a crucial role to play in building a more sustainable freight sector.

One of the UIC Freight department’s primary objectives is to increase members’ revenue by improving the competitiveness of international products and services. A further objective is to reduce costs by harmonising international business, operational and information processes. UIC also contributes to the development of freight corridors and reinforcement of customers’ confidence in rail transport. These objectives are achieved:

• by strengthening UIC’s position as a key facilitator and a neutral platform for multilateral cooperation between UIC members,
• by facilitating knowledge transfer among members and from other industries through benchmarking, workshops and conferences, and
• by establishing permanent links with strategic partners in the supply chain (intermodal operators, freight forwarders, etc.).