Shippers (manufacturers, distributors, etc.) are at the heart of transport companies' concerns, as they are the ones who dictate the modes of transport used. The aim of this barometer is to give a voice to shippers and assess their perceptions in terms of rail and combined transport.
Once again this year, our firm, in partnership with theAUTFThe 2025 edition of this study is based on data from 2024. These elements are updated from one year to the next to identify trends and offer a vision to industry players.
The information gathered provides an overview situation report on the modes preferred by shippers to transport their goods, on the legibility of the rail offer and associated satisfaction.
These considerations give rise to the following rail freight trends in the coming years. For this new edition, we have focused more closely on shippers' assessments of service quality.in its various dimensions, in partnership with theGustave Eiffel University as part of the National Logistics Observatory.
What uses for rail and combined transport?
In 2024, the sectors that made most use of conventional rail transport were agriculture (31% of the shippers representing this sector use it) as well as hazardous products and chemistry (30%), the latter being traditionally more handset-intensive.
In addition, the sectors that make most use of combined road/rail transport within the panel are the automobile and consumer goods (30% and 25% respectively). Nevertheless, we can see a sharp decline in the use of road/rail compared with the 2023 panel, for all product types.
An ever-improving offering...
71% panel members rate rail freight organization understandable and legible and 6% even considers it easy to understand and read. Last year, only 59% of participants considered it understandable and readable or very understandable and readable, an increase of 18 points. Nevertheless, around a quarter of the panel felt that the organization of rail freight remained difficult to understand and read in 2024.
Visit offer visibility (for 55% of the panel, a result consistent with the improved clarity of the rail freight organization and system observed in 2024), respect for the environment (41%) and flexible offers (38%) now appear as the criteria that improved the most in 2024.
...but still a need for innovation
The panel is divided when it comes to service innovation: 51% consider that service innovations have been proposed to meet the most recent challenges, while 49% see innovation as or non-existent.
In the future, it's the provision of data/information which remains the priority service expected by shippers.
A better match between shippers' needs and supply, even if the latter remains partial
Only 6% of respondents consider that conventional rail transport offer fully meets their needs and 69% think that it only responds to partially to their needs. It should be noted that conventional rail transport is still a restrictive mode of transport for shippers, who have to adapt their operations to suit their needs. process and organization to integrate it into their supply chain.
Nearly a quarter (26%), however, feel that it does not meet their needs. not at all to their needs, from small loaders to large manufacturers.
Service quality still needs to improve on the railways, despite a better appreciation of combined rail/road transport
This year, overall, service quality was judged to be more satisfactory on rail than in previous years. These results should be seen in the context of the numerous strikes in 2023, which had a major impact on rail transport operations.
Combined road/rail transport received positive satisfaction scores this year: 63% found the quality of service to be good. good or very goodThis result is up on the previous barometer in 2023 (32%).
Key data
Players and ecosystem
Freight forwarders and road hauliers continue to be involved in the organization of rail flows. As far as combined flows are concerned, almost half of the panel's respondents are in contact with road haulage companies: their role seems to be increasing (51% versus 37% in 2023, i.e. an increase of 14 points in one year).
The offer
The panel shows that there is a better match between shippers' needs and the offer, although the vast majority of the latter remains partial.
- Only 6% of the panel consider that the conventional rail offer fully meets their needs, and 69% consider that it only partially meets their needs;
- Only 3% of the panel consider that the combined transport offer fully meets their needs, and 66% that it partially does.
Service quality
In 2024, overall, service quality was judged to be more satisfactory for rail modes than previously, particularly for combined transport. These results should be seen in the context of the numerous strikes in 2023, which had a major impact on rail transport operations.
Satisfaction
With an overall satisfaction rating of 2.90/6, rail transport seems to only partially meet shippers' expectations (on-time delivery, contingencies, responsiveness, cost-competitiveness, regularity of service, capacity for innovation, traceability, customer relations, handling of disputes).
Modal shift to bulk modes
- 68% of panel participants say that the prospects for regulatory change do not already lead them to envisage a modal shift towards mass transit. This confirms that operational and economic performance remain the decisive criteria;
- 10% of the panel declared that they had made a sustainable reverse modal shift from rail to road by 2024.
Outlook
Short sea and river transport (whether conventional or combined) have greater development potential than rail transport, probably because of the perceived constraints on the latter.
A representative barometer
The panel is made up of industrial shippers and distributors using rail or combined transport, who responded between December 2024 and mid-February 2025 to an online questionnaire sent out by the Association des Utilisateurs de Transport de Fret (AUTF).
Proportionally, the panel is made up mainly of industrial" customers (85%), and 15% from distributors" prime contractors.
As in the previous year, the panel is mainly made up of French players (95%), and 48% of respondents see their goods move in Europe, all modes combined, 35% in France alone and 17% internationally. This year, there is a higher representation of shippers whose goods move within Europe than in previous years.
Finally, in terms of sales, 49 % of this year's respondents have sales in excess of €1 billion, 29 % between €500 million and €1 billion, and 21 % less than €500 million.
