Germany Transportation Profile 2012

25/11/2010  Freight Transport Report 2011

The construction of a third terminal at Frankfurt Airport airport was expected to be delayed by German transport company, Fraport AG, which also operates the airport, reported German daily Die Welt, as cited by Bloomberg in early September. Passenger numbers at the airport had been falling, according to the news source. Work on the terminal was scheduled to be completed in 2013, but the start date had now been pushed back until 2011/2012. The news came just days after the expansion project at the airport, obtained high court approval from the Hesse Administrative Court. The EUR4bn project includes adding; a fourth runway, a third terminal and expanding the cargo and maintenance centres. The runway is still due to be completed in 2011 and it does not appear that this will be changed by the decision. Despite falling passenger numbers in the preceding months, according to, Fraport forecasts, passenger numbers will reach 88.3mn by 2020. in 2008, the airport served 53.5mn passengers.

We estimate that the German economy plunged severely in 2009, with GDP falling by 4.8%. 2010
should see a subdued recovery with growth of 1.0%. We are forecasting slow growth for the German economy over the next five years, with annual GDP expansion averaging around 1.6%. We  expect that freight traffic will expand a little more slowly than this, at around 1.5%. In the longer term we believe, however, that freight traffic for some periods may outpace the wider economy, reflecting changes in production methods, as a result of which component parts travel further and more frequently as they are assembled, stored and ultimately distributed to the customers.
For the forecast period, road haulage will rise by an average of 1.5% per annum in 2010-2014, with 3.8% contraction estimated in 2009, but year-on-year (y-o-y) growth returning in subsequent years. Rail freight traffic will grow by an average of 1.4% per annum in the forecast period, gathering pace in the later years.
This will result from government policy encouraging its use as an alternative to road, the deregulation of the system favouring private operators and what we expect will be quite an aggressive pursuit of wider European freight business by the leading operator DB Cargo. Inland waterway freight traffic growth will average 1.0% each year in 2010-2014, trailing behind GDP. While the potential for growth for this transport mode remains high, we believe it will be held back during the forecast period due to capacity limitations.

After 2002, the number of low-cost carriers (LCCs) in the aviation sector increased dramatically, putting pressure on the national flag-carrier Lufthansa. Following a sharp drop in 2009 we see airfreight growing moderately over the forecast period, rising by an annual average of 1.6%. Although controversial in diplomatic terms, the North European Gas Pipeline (NEGP) bringing in natural gas from Russia should give a boost to throughput from 2010 onwards.

The transport sector plays a central role in a modern economy. Mobility of goods (raw materials, semi-manufactured and finished products) and people (e.g. apprentices, employees, travellers, consumers) is required in the first place for the division of labour to function and for value added to be created in all economic sectors. In the context of the increase in international trading of goods and services, the importance of the transport sector is growing. Statistical information on the transport situation provides an important basis for entrepreneurial decisions and transport policies.

What is shown here for the various modes of transport is data on the transport infrastructure and on the means of transport. For passenger and goods transport, the volume of transport and transport services are shown. The surveys in goods transport are based on the Goods Classification for Transport Statistics, covering 175 headings. For spatial transport interlinkages, the Regional Index for Transport Statistics is used. The main traffic relations are national transport, international transport (incoming or outgoing) and transit. The units of measurement for transport services in passenger transport are the number of trips made (passengers carried) and the transport performance measured in passenger-kilometres (pkm) (product of number of trips and distance travelled). Units of measurement in goods transport are the quantity of goods carried in tonnes and the transport performance measured in tonne-kilometres (tkm) (product of the quantity of goods carried and distance travelled).
There are separate statistics for the modes of transport of road, railway, inland waterways, and sea transport. The statistics of public road passenger transport are supplied by the Federal Statistical Office, as are the statistics of goods and passenger transport by rail and air, the statistics of goods transport by inland waterways and by sea as well as the statistics of crude oil transport in pipelines. Private motorised transport, including taxi and hired-car transport, is estimated by the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW). The goods transport services performed by national lorries are directly covered and published by the Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) and by the Federal Office for Goods Transport (BAG); since reporting year 1994 this has been based on a sample survey. Also, the Federal Motor Transport Authority produces statistics such as on the stock and new registrations of motor vehicles. Statistics of the Federal Statistical Office not referring to transport itself but to its negative consequences are the various statistics of traffic accidents, especially the statistics on road traffic accidents in a detailed breakdown.

Goods transport

The statistics of transport services are one of the focal areas of official transport statistics. They record the quantities of goods carried and the transport performance (expressed in tonne-kilometres) according to a breakdown by products and regions. The goods carried are shown in terms of gross weight (including packaging). The figures on transport performance additionally take into account the distances over which the goods are moved. Results of high accuracy are available from the monthly or quarterly transport services statistics about 30 to 50 days after the end of the reference period.
Transport statistics data are collected, processed and tabulated separately for each mode of transport. A uniform presentation regarding cross-cutting issues and the comparability over time are ensured mainly through the collection of comparable variables and the application of uniform classifications of goods and regions. The latter are the Goods Classification for Transport Statistics, which comprises 175 product headings, and the Regional Index for Transport Statistics (listing traffic areas and traffic districts). However, it is not directly possible to describe transport chains, i.e. to identify the point of origin or the final destination of a transport operation for which different means of transport are used. It must be noted therefore that an aggregation of the results of goods transport by various modes of transport will contain an unknown degree of double counting due to reloading. The results of the transport services statistics are usually shown with a breakdown by main traffic relations.

Rail transport

The data on goods transport by rail are derived from a coordinated system of surveys of different periodicity. These surveys include all the enterprises carrying out relevant transport operations even if that type of transport is not their main activity. Hence, the statistics are based on a functional perspective. The surveys collect monthly and annual data on goods transport (quantities carried and transport performance). Small enterprises are only requested to provide annual data for a survey programme which is not as comprehensive as that for larger enterprises.

Inland water transport

The statistics on goods transport on inland waterways comprise information on transshipment and transport operations by national and foreign vessels on national inland waterways (national concept). The data of these goods transport statistics are mainly obtained from reports by carriers, shipmasters, consignors and consignees, or their local representatives, on loading, unloading or reloading goods in ports or at other places of loading/unloading within the national territory. Transport related to inland fisheries, dredging, ferry and port traffic and ship supply services (fuel, provisions etc.) are not included. Information on transit movements is obtained from the reports by the German Federal Waterways and Shipping Administration.

Sea transport

Sea transport statistics cover all arrivals and departures of national and foreign (sea-going) vessels at/from German ports on journeys undertaken wholly or partly at sea. Accordingly, movements between seaports and inland waterway ports are included as well. A journey is undertaken at sea if it is not exclusively made on inland waterways (rivers and canals) as defined by the Federal Inland Waterways Act. The obligation to provide information for statistics on shipping traffic, goods transport and passenger transport by sea rests with the carriers, shipmasters, consignors and consignees, or their local representatives.

The transshipment of goods comprises all loading and unloading operations at German seaports. As a general rule, the goods are shown in terms of gross weight, i.e. their net weight including packaging, but excluding the weight of the vehicles and containers used for transporting the goods. The tare weights are shown in some tables as memorandum items.

Air transport

The statistics of air transport services cover all arrivals and departures of national and foreign aircraft at/from national airports (national concept). The presentation of information on aircraft movements and goods transport by air is confined to commercial air transport. Apart from that, information is collected about the airports of origin and destination of aircraft, passengers and goods (freight and mail) for, currently, 25 major airports. Overflights over national territory are not recorded.

Road goods transport

By way of a sample survey in the field of road goods transport, data on the transport services performed by national lorries have been collected continuously and processed periodically since May 1994. The survey covers both commercial road goods transport and transport on own account. Regarding commercial transport, the survey is taken by the Federal Office for Goods Transport (BAG), while for transport on own account it is carried out by the Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA). The entirety of goods transport operations by foreign road motor vehicles is excluded on principle, even if the place of loading or unloading is located on the territory of the Federal Republic of Germany. Foreign road motor vehicles passing through Germany in transit are not covered either.

Crude oil pipelines

The relevant statistics show the quantities of crude oil received by refineries. The Federal Office of Economics and Export Control (BAFA) provides this information with a monthly and annual periodicity to the Federal Statistical Office. Crude oil transported in transit and other quantities that are not delivered to refineries are not taken into account.

Passenger transport

Passenger transport includes public passenger transport by bus/coach, rail and air as well as transport by private motor vehicles (private motorised transport), by bicycle or on foot. Official statistics mainly collect and present information on public passenger transport.

In public passenger transport, transport services are measured by the number of trips undertaken by passengers (passengers carried) and in terms of transport performance. The unit of measurement for transport performance is passenger-kilometres, defined as the product of the number of trips made by passengers and the distance travelled. The statistics of passenger transport services, on principle, record the passengers carried in terms of cases of transportation. This means that a person undertaking several trips in the reference period is counted several times. Results of high accuracy are available from the monthly or quarterly transport services statistics about 30 to 50 days after the end of the reference period.

Rail and road passenger transport

The information on short-distance passenger transport by bus or rail and on long-distance passenger transport by coach or rail is derived from a coordinated system of surveys of different periodicity. These surveys include all the enterprises carrying out relevant transport operations, even if that type of transport is not their main activity. Hence, the statistics are based on a functional perspective. The surveys collect quarterly and annual data on passenger transport services. Small enterprises are only requested to provide annual data for a survey programme which is not as comprehensive as that for larger enterprises.

The statistics on short-distance passenger transport and on long-distance passenger transport by coach cover enterprises which offer short-distance passenger transport services by train or tram (including elevated railways, metro/subway, light rail, suspension railways and similar rail transport, but excluding mountain and cable railways) or short-distance or long-distance passenger transport by bus/coach. Not included is taxi or hired-car transport. The statistics do not only cover enterprises holding passenger transport licences but also subcontractors that carry passengers on behalf of a licence holder. The annual survey covers only a sample of the smaller enterprises. The statistics on long-distance passenger transport by rail cover all enterprises domiciled within the national territory which provide such transport services.

Sea transport

Sea transport statistics cover all arrivals and departures of national and foreign (sea-going) vessels at/from German ports on journeys undertaken wholly or partly at sea. Accordingly, movements between seaports and inland waterway ports are included as well. A journey is undertaken at sea if it is not exclusively made on inland waterways (rivers and canals) as defined by the Federal Inland Waterways Act. The obligation to provide information for statistics on shipping traffic, goods transport and passenger transport by sea rests with the carriers, shipmasters, consignors and consignees, or their local representatives.

The transshipment of goods comprises all loading and unloading operations at German seaports. As a general rule, the goods are shown in terms of gross weight, i.e. their net weight including packaging, but excluding the weight of the vehicles and containers used for transporting the goods. The tare weights are shown in some tables as memorandum items.

Enterprises, infrastructure, vehicle stock

Enterprises engaged in transport activities on inland waterways, by air and rail as well as in commercial passenger transport and goods transport by road are required to provide information every year or at intervals of several years. They supply data in particular on the transport services performed, the employees involved in transport activities, on turnover or revenue from the relevant mode of transport (except for goods transport by road and rail and long-distance passenger transport by rail), on the stock of vehicles and on the infrastructure (railways). The survey units are the kind-of-activity units engaged in transport activities, irrespectively of what the enterprise's main activity is. The surveys are usually conducted on an exhaustive basis (except in road goods transport) and thus provide results of high accuracy.

The register-based transport statistics must be seen in the light of functional objectives, especially the road motor vehicle statistics compiled by the Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA). In other areas, too, evaluations of administrative registers serve to complement survey data, especially those on the infrastructure and means of transport. This applies, for instance, to information on the stock of inland waterway vessels, sea-going vessels, aircraft, and on other than local roads.