Sustainable promotion of rail transport in regional trade: marketing and logistics perspectives in Eastern Europe [Articol]

Abstract

Purpose of the article: The paper investigates how rail-freight service marketing can be combined with multimodal logistics integration to accelerate the transition to sustainable freight transport in Eastern Europe, with in the framework of the revised TEN-T Regulation (2024/1679), the Count Emissions EU initiative, and the deployment of ERTMS/DAC. Methodology: Policy and documentary analysis (2024–2025), use of official secondary data (Eurostat, ERA/EEA, UTK), and concise case studies on Eastern European markets (Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Hungary), complemented by evidence on CEF/TEN-T investments and the role of ports and inland intermodal terminals. Conclusions: (I) The EU rail share remains modest (~5.5% tkm), yet Eastern member states display higher rail shares (e.g., LT 31.7%; SI 27.1%; RO 20.4%), indicating room for scaling. (II) Polish intermodal volumes grew in 2024 (+13%, ~27.6 Mt), while Romania strengthens connectivity via the Port of Constanța alongside improved results at CFR Marfă. (III) TEN-T standards (740-m trains, 22.5 t/axle, ≥100 km/h), digitalisation (ERTMS), and Digital Automatic Coupling (DAC) can raise productivity and reliability along East–West/North–South corridors. (IV) Embedding CountEmissionsEU methodologies in tenders and contracts enables a credible green value proposition and supports a modal shift from road to rail. Originality: The paper advances a 4P + Sustainability logistics-marketing framework (Product–Price–Place– Promotion + emissions transparency), operationalised via KPI (ETA, punctuality, CO₂e/ton-km) and TENT/ ERTMS/DAC technical criteria, targeting integrated B2B door-to-door rail packages.