From rail to air. How do companies choose the right transport to meet their business needs?

The volume of intermodal rail freight in Poland has more than doubled over the last decade. According to data from the Office of Rail Transport, TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit) volumes rose from 1.15 million in 2015 to 2.72 million in 2024. Over the same period, intermodal transport’s share of total rail freight performance rose from 7.3 per cent to 16.1 per cent. FM Logistic is tracking similar momentum, reporting a more than 33 per cent surge in its European intermodal shipments between the first and second quarters of 2026 alone.

The growth of intermodal transport in Poland reflects a broader shift across the European freight market, where Eurostat data point to an expanding role for intermodal solutions, particularly in rail and maritime transport.

While companies across diverse sectors, including FMCG, consumer goods, household chemicals, furniture, and electronics, frequently leverage intermodal transport, the choice depends less on the industry itself and more on the parameters of the shipment: the volume and nature of the cargo, route, required lead time, and planning flexibility.

Each mode of transport serves different operational needs. Sea freight mainly applies to intercontinental trade, air freight significantly reduces transit times, and road transport offers unmatched flexibility for shorter routes and first- and last-mile logistics. Rail can be used over longer distances, whether operating independently or as part of a multimodal supply chain.

“There is no single model that works in every scenario. That’s why the starting point is to talk to the client and identify the factors most crucial to them. Only then can we decide whether the optimal solution is to use a single mode of transport or a combination of several within a single operation,” points out Łukasz Łasa, Business Development Manager – Multimodal Transport, FM Logistic.

European Commission data shows that the transport sector accounts for roughly a quarter of all greenhouse gas emissions in the EU. Yet rail generates just 0.3 per cent of transport emissions, despite handling 16.6 per cent of intra-EU freight. How businesses organise their shipping, therefore, plays a critical role in hitting corporate decarbonisation targets. The rail’s low emissions profile – and integrating it into intermodal solutions – offers a powerful lever for shrinking a carbon footprint of a supply chain.

“Reducing the transport sector’s carbon footprint doesn’t necessarily mean abandoning road freight in entirety. In many cases, blending different modes of transport within a single journey may prove to be the optimal solution. In an intermodal setup, rail carries the load over long distances, while trucks handle the first and last miles, with road transport remaining on standby for urgent, time-sensitive deliveries. This approach reduces transport emissions wherever operational conditions and customer requirements allow, without sacrificing the flexibility needed to complete the delivery,” explains Łukasz Łasa from FM Logistic.

Economic and geopolitical conditions, costs, capacity availability, and greenhouse gas reduction targets will remain key factors shaping supply chain strategy in the second half of 2026. From a market perspective, one of the top trends to watch will be the continued expansion of intermodal transport.

*TEU (Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit) – a unit used to measure the volume of containerised freight. 1 TEU corresponds to the capacity of one standard 20-foot container.