Industrial action has resulted in a slump in German rail freight volumes despite growth across the rest of the sector.
Provisional results announced by Germany’s Federal Statistical Office showed that freight volumes had increased by 2.9 per cent to 4.5 billion tonnes in the past year, with road, maritime, air and inland waterways contributing the majority of the growth.
In contrast, around 365 million tonnes of freight was transported by rail in 2014 – 2.4 per cent less than the previous year.
The authority contributed the reduction partly to a large fall experienced during strike action in October and November last year.
