Rail Freight Transport Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2022 - 2027)

Rail Freight Transport Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2022 - 2027)

The rail freight transport market was valued at USD 247.39 billion in 2020, and it is expected to register a CAGR of about 2% during the forecast period, 2021-2026.

COVID-19 had a mixed impact on the rail freight market as regions like North and South America saw a decline in the rail freight market while Asia and Europe saw a rise in the rail freight traffic. In the long term, the regional share of rail freight is expected to see a prominent increase. Along with this, there is expected to be higher investment, further infrastructure development, and technology implementation to digitize rail freight.

North America leads the rail freight market, and Asia-Pacific is expected to overtake North America during the forecast period. Moreover, the rise in global trade and various trade agreements are boosting the global trade flows. The non-containerized cargo and liquid bulk segments dominate among the type of cargo transported by rail, while the growth of intermodal transport is boosting the transport of containerized cargo. Intermodal cargo is estimated to witness high growth over the forecast period. Similarly, with the rise in international trade and the countries recognizing the benefits of rail freight transport, cross-border rail freight transport is gaining huge momentum across different parts of the world. In some regions of Central Asia, Eastern Europe, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa, characterized by groupings of many small countries, rail freight can increase economic integration by providing access to international and regional markets and connecting landlocked countries.

Key Market TrendsLow Cost of Transportation and Modal Shift Drive the Market

Rail freight companies continue to invest and reduce costs for customers. For instance, they have increased the payloads they can carry, with tonnage per train up by 80% in the last decade. When shipping by rail, the lower interest costs for the tied-up capital partly cover the higher transportation costs, making rail freight a very cost-efficient shipping alternative.

If a company ships 750 containers per year, with an average cargo value of EUR 250 000 per container and a financial cost of 5% PA, the daily interest cost is EUR 37.52 per container. Shipping goods door-to-door from China to Europe by rail typically takes about 25 days, compared to the sea, which typically takes about 42 days. This means a saving in interest cost of EUR 708 per container or EUR 531,165 per year for all 750 containers. This is money that can be used to cover extra costs and create a more agile supply chain, which can also have an additional positive impact on cost parameters and capital binding.

Railway transportation costs are lower. The cost of railway transportation is only one-tenth of the cost of automobile transportation; transportation fuel consumption is about one-twentieth of automobile transportation.

The COVID-19 crisis has resulted in the shortage of truck drivers and restrictions on sea and air transport in many countries and regions. As a result, the cost of transportation through truck, sea, or air has sharply risen as compared to rail freight costs. This has made the shift to rail fright a supply chain advantage.

Asia-Pacific Leads the Rail Freight Transport Market

As per industry sources, the Asia-Pacific region leads the current market studied, and it is also expected to grow significantly above Europe and North America. China is the largest market, followed by India. India’s rail network is the world’s third-largest.

Southeast Asia is the major driver for rail freight movement across the region, which is a result of a significant improvement in the business climate in most ASEAN countries over the last decade. The China-Laos railway, the launch of Laos' first satellite, hydropower developments, and other projects funded by China have helped promote connectivity between the two nations. Agriculture is seen as an important sector to bolster Lao exports to China, especially bananas, rubber, fertilizer, cassava, and corn. Vietnam, the Philippines, and Indonesia are among the fastest-growing countries in the region.

India’s rail network is the world’s third-largest rail network, with approximately 13,000 passenger trains and 9000 freight trains operating daily. Freight traffic of the Indian Railways increased to 1,221.39 million metric ton in FY19. As of January 2020, freight traffic in FY20 (up to January 2020) stood at 999.51 million metric ton. Growing industrialization across the entire country had further increased freight traffic over the last decade. Freight traffic is also set to increase significantly due to the rising investments and increased participation by the private sector. The Indian government is also providing a huge impetus to the PPP model in the industry with the redevelopment of stations, the building of private freight terminals, and private container train operations. It has also allowed 100% FDI in the railway sector.

Competitive Landscape

The rail freight transport market is moderately consolidated in nature, with a mix of global and local players. According to industry sources, the rail industry has been facing huge competition from its similar service providers, road and air transporters, since the last decade. Many countries are heavily investing in railroad infrastructural developments, and investments are especially huge in the Americas and Europe. International companies hold a large market share by acquiring or joining hands with local companies in many regions. At the country level, most of the markets seem to be concentrated with the presence of one or two major players. Additionally, in some countries, state-run companies own a major share of the market. During the COVID-19 pandemic, rail freight has been playing a key role by connecting European economies and keeping freight moving.

Additional Benefits:

• The market estimate (ME) sheet in Excel format
• 3 months of analyst support

Companies Mentioned

Union Pacific Railroad
Canadian National Railway
CSX Transportation
Norfolk Southern Railway
BNSF Railway
Swiss Federal Railways
DHL
DB Cargo
United Parcel Service (UPS)
Canadian Pacific Railway
Russian Railways (RZD)
Geneese & Wyoming Inc.
SNCF
Indian Railways
Japan Freight Railway Company (JR Freight)*

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