Last year it was clearly noticeable on the railways that the goods trade collapsed due to the corona crisis. Statistics Bureau Netherlands (CBS) reports on this. Exports via trains in particular decreased and other countries also traded less via the Dutch rail network.

In 2020, more than 6 percent less weight of goods was transported on the Dutch railways. Exports decreased by 9.5 percent and transit by almost 6 percent. The latter is the case when goods are traded between two countries and are transported on Dutch railways. Domestic trade via trains remained reasonably stable and imports even increased slightly.

The decline in the first quarters is related, among other things, to the partial loss of demand for products and disruptions in global production chains as a result of the corona crisis, the researchers explain. An increase was only seen in the last quarter of last year.

Coal and metal ore in particular were transported less by rail cars. Fewer goods were also transported by rail in containers.