photo: Billy Wilson / Flickr/Alf-Bullay Double-Decker Bridge, Mosel, Rhine Province, Germany
UIRR has voiced concern after the European Commission announced plans to withdraw its amendment of the Combined Transport Directive. The sector warns that shelving the proposal jeopardises years of progress toward more resilient, multimodal freight chains across Europe.
The College of Commissioners adopted its Work Programme for 2026, signalling its intention to withdraw the proposed amendment to the Combined Transport Directive, originally tabled under the Greening Freight Transport Package in November 2023.
The Combined Transport Community, represented by UIRR, regrets this decision, noting that the Commission did not hold any public consultation before reaching it. The European Parliament’s study, commissioned by rapporteur Flavio Tosi, was finalised only a week prior, with the Parliament preparing to start its work on the amendment. The Belgian and Hungarian Council presidencies had already advanced the dossier, and Member States were awaiting Parliament’s next move.
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European Combined Transport remains the key instrument for integrating rail and waterborne freight into EU supply chains, driving growth in rail freight. Yet the sector faces serious operational challenges. Infrastructure underperformance, terminal capacity shortages, and the lack of digitalisation and service guarantees continue to hinder progress.
UIRR notes that while these issues cannot be solved solely through an amended Directive or revised Weights and Dimensions rules, intermodal freight transport still requires a dedicated legislative framework to function effectively.
Ralf-Charley Schultze, Director General of UIRR, said: "I encourage the Commission to reconsider its idea of withdrawing the Combined Transport Directive amendment. A long-term perspective is needed, and the European Parliament should be allowed to complete its work. The 2026 programme should not be rigidly executed."
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UIRR’s Priority Dossiers
To address the current challenges, UIRR highlights several files critical to the sector’s stability and growth:
- Finalising and implementing the Rail Infrastructure Capacity Management Regulation.
- Creating an operating-cost compensation regime for disruptions caused by infrastructure works.
- Supporting the implementation of the TEN-T Regulation.
- Contributing to the evaluation of the Single European Railway Area (SERA) Directive, to ensure reliable charging and infrastructure management.
- Enabling military mobility through efficient use of electric rail freight in defence logistics.
UIRR pointed out that overcoming today’s obstacles will take several years, during which digitalisation will continue to advance. In the long term, the organisation remains hopeful that a revised Combined Transport Directive will emerge within a coherent framework that allows intermodal transport to function efficiently across Europe.
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Source: UIRR Press Release