NL 2020 reduction in rail freight traffic
Netherlands: rail freight traffic decreases in 2020
In 2020, 40 million tonnes of freight were carried on NL railways, which is 6.2% lower than 2019.
In the first quarter, rail freight traffic was down -5.9%, and then there was a large decrease of -19.5% in the second quarter. With a recovery in the second half of the year, the net reduction for the full year amounted to -6.2%.
The decrease is partly due to the disruptions in global production chains due to the corona crisis. Container transport by rail, which accounts for almost 44 percent of the total weight, decreased by -3.9 percent in 2020 to 17.5 million tonnes compared to the previous year. However, the number of containers transported, measured in TEU, increased by +3.2 percent in 2020 compared to 2019.
After containers, bulk goods including fuels and ore are the most important sectors by weight on the Dutch railway. These bulk goods are inputs for the production of steel, amongst other things. The transport of fuels and ores fell by -15.7 percent and -20.6 percent respectively in 2020 compared to a year earlier. The amount of steel transported (including other metals and metal products) fell by -12.8 percent last year. Chemical products transported by rail increased howver by +18%.