Rails to Resilience: CER Pushes for 30% Rail Share in EU Port Strategy

Europe’s ports are where global trade meets domestic infrastructure—but without rail, the system stalls on arrival. As the EU prepares its new Port Strategy, CER is sounding the alarm: boost rail now, or risk missing climate goals, economic resilience, and strategic autonomy.

The Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies (CER) has released a comprehensive position paper calling for the integration of rail into the upcoming European Port Strategy, focusing on its vital role in achieving the EU’s climate targets, improving connectivity, and safeguarding strategic autonomy. The European Commission is currently finalising the new strategy, which aims to strengthen the long-term competitiveness and sustainability of European ports.

CER’s message is clear: ports cannot deliver their full economic and environmental potential without rail. Ports serve as gateways for global trade and essential hubs for both civilian logistics and military mobility. Yet, in many cases, the rail modal share at European ports remains critically low, despite proven examples of success where rail has been prioritised.

In Rotterdam, Europe’s busiest port with over 13.8 million TEU handled in 2024, the rail modal share stood at just 8.9%. Other major ports like Antwerp-Bruges and Valencia reflect similar patterns, each recording rail shares under 10%. Hamburg, however, achieved a 33.3% share, and Bremerhaven reached 50%, showing that higher rail uptake is achievable when supported by infrastructure and policy. CER is calling for a firm EU target to raise rail’s modal share at European ports to at least 30%, a threshold deemed necessary for both economic efficiency and climate resilience.

Rail Freight Integration Key to Port Competitiveness and Emissions Reduction

The CER paper points out that connecting ports to the European rail network is not simply a logistics issue; it is an enabler of the European Green Deal, the Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy, and TEN-T regulation goals. According to recent EU-funded research, rail freight outperforms road transport even in ambitious decarbonisation scenarios where trucks achieve a 90% emissions reduction by 2050. Every euro invested in efficient, sustainable logistics is expected to generate five euros of value for European society, making a compelling case for modal shift policies that reinforce the backbone role of rail.

To achieve these objectives, the Port Strategy must embed rail within the long-term development of logistics corridors and inland connectivity. Many existing ports lack sufficient infrastructure such as 740-metre loading tracks, shunting yards, and IT-supported track allocation systems, which are all necessary for seamless ship-to-rail transshipment. CER also stresses that port capacity expansion projects must be aligned with the development of surrounding rail links, particularly along the European Transport Corridors (ETCs). If rail infrastructure is not scaled in parallel with port growth, future bottlenecks and congestion are inevitable.

European Transport Corridors and Intermodal Terminals Need Urgent Investment

The CER position outlines that Europe’s hinterland connectivity suffers from regional disparities, with outdated infrastructure in several corridors inhibiting the modal shift to rail. To address this, the strategy must support upgrades to intermodal rail-road terminals, especially in the Scandinavian–Mediterranean, Rhine–Danube, and Western Balkans–Eastern Mediterranean corridors, where demand for freight movement is rising but infrastructure remains limited. Enhancing rail connectivity to ports in Central and Eastern Europe and Southeast Europe is essential for ensuring that all regions benefit from improved trade and mobility.

Strategically located ports such as Piraeus and Thessaloniki, which connect via non-EU countries like Serbia and North Macedonia, also require enhanced coordination with third countries to streamline rail flows across borders. CER warns that without this cooperation, critical gateways risk becoming bottlenecks. Cost competitiveness is another major concern. High port-related fees for rail activities such as shunting, transshipment, and last-mile access are deterring modal shift. CER proposes introducing competition between service providers within ports and compensating certain operating costs through targeted aid to make rail freight more attractive.

Combined Transport Directive and Port Sovereignty in EU Rail Strategy

Beyond infrastructure, regulatory tools must support rail’s expansion. CER calls for an ambitious revision of the Combined Transport Directive, with an emphasis on reducing overall costs of intermodal rail operations. One crucial provision CER wants preserved is the rule limiting road legs to a 150 km radius from ports, which protects rail and inland waterway competitiveness by discouraging excessive road usage. Removing this limit could lead to intermodal schemes that bypass rail entirely, undermining EU decarbonisation goals.

Security is another cornerstone of the paper. With rising geopolitical tensions and recent trade shocks such as U.S. tariffs on European exports, CER argues that EU management control over port infrastructure must be maintained. Foreign ownership of multiple strategic European ports poses risks not only to competition but also to EU sovereignty. The strategy must therefore ensure that European stakeholders retain operational control, with resilience and flexibility built into the transport system through diversified trade routes and rail-accessible logistics hubs.

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Dual-Use Rail Infrastructure and Military Mobility in European Port Planning

CER advocates for a robust focus on dual-use infrastructure in ports, allowing facilities to be used for both civilian and defence purposes. As the EU bolsters its Action Plan on Military Mobility, ports must be equipped to handle the movement of military convoys and heavy assets — an area where rail offers unique advantages. Railways are capable of transporting oversized and hazardous goods safely and efficiently across borders, something road transport cannot always match. CER calls for improved interoperability between civilian and military logistics systems, and the inclusion of port authorities, NATO bodies, and railway companies in governance structures that coordinate crisis response logistics.

Rail’s role in this context goes beyond peacetime efficiency — it is about strategic readiness. Investment in transshipment infrastructure and hinterland rail links will support both commercial trade and defence needs, ensuring that Europe remains agile in the face of both market shocks and geopolitical threats.

EU Funding for Rail-Port Integration through the Multiannual Financial Framework

To deliver on its ambitions, the EU Port Strategy must be backed by adequate and long-term funding mechanisms. CER urges the European Commission to prioritise rail in the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for 2028–2034, including a new Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) envelope of at least EUR 100 billion. These funds should focus on increasing capacity within ports, upgrading access lines, and building or modernising intermodal terminals.

The strategy should also support electrification projects, improve transshipment equipment such as cranes, and enhance terminals serving both maritime and inland ports. Particular attention should be given to less congested facilities that can serve as alternatives during crisis situations, especially for military logistics. Without sustained investment at both EU and national levels, the modal shift to rail will remain a policy goal rather than an operational reality.

Source: CER; CER Position Paper from June 25, 2025