In the 2024 financial year, Kombiverkehr proved to be stable despite the ongoing economic challenges: A total of around 780,000 lorry consignments, or around 1.5 million TEU, were transported. The breakdown by transport sector shows that Around 180,000 consignments were transported nationally and around 600,000 internationally. This saved a total of around 1.12 million tonnes of CO₂ compared to pure road transport in 2024. 

The reasons for this development were once again the persistently weak economy, extensive construction work on the rail network and quality problems. Despite all the challenges, Kombiverkehr is proving to be a reliable intermodal operator in 2024 as well, as the company was able to stabilise the network and generate a positive annual result despite the decline in volumes. And even launched several new train connections:

• March 2024: Rotterdam ↔ Cologne-Eifeltor (3 round trips/week)
• September 2024: Antwerp ↔ Irun ↔ Madrid (8 round trips/week)
• Turn of the year 2024/25: Duisburg ↔ Hallsberg (Sweden)
• And in January 2025, the Lübeck ↔ Verona connection plus connection via Hamburg was reactivated

Milestone traction changeover

A key milestone was the successful traction reorganisation: Kombiverkehr KG successfully completed the project in just six months. Following the announcement in summer 2024 that the purchased traction services would be reorganised due to EU proceedings against the Federal Republic of Germany as the owner of DB Cargo, a total of 14 rail transport companies now run Kombiverkehr's trains. The four main freight carriers KombiRail Europe, Lokomotion, SBB Cargo International and DB Cargo are responsible for 90 per cent of the network. 

Challenges and political demands

Despite stable network performance, Kombiverkehr warns of rising track prices (+16%) and infrastructural burdens due to construction work. The company therefore expects support from politicians and demands that the old principle of building under the rolling wheel must apply to refurbishments without efficient diversions. In addition, the company's main concerns are predictable tariffs, exemption from toll charges in the pre- and post-carriageway as well as publicly financed compensation for diversion traffic. 

Despite the economic downturn, Kombiverkehr 2024 held its own with a reduced but robust consignment volume. The market position was strengthened through targeted network expansions, successful traction conversion and digital services. The company remains a climate-friendly growth driver - as long as politics and infrastructure follow suit.