Reference metadata describe statistical concepts and methodologies used for the collection and generation of data. They provide information on data quality and, since they are strongly content-oriented, assist users in interpreting the data. Reference metadata, unlike structural metadata, can be decoupled from the data.
Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union
1.2. Contact organisation unit
Unit E3: Transport statistics
1.3. Contact name
Restricted from publication
1.4. Contact person function
Restricted from publication
1.5. Contact mail address
L- 2920 Luxembourg, LUXEMBOURG
1.6. Contact email address
Restricted from publication
1.7. Contact phone number
Restricted from publication
1.8. Contact fax number
Restricted from publication
2.1. Metadata last certified
2 May 2024
2.2. Metadata last posted
2 May 2024
2.3. Metadata last update
2 May 2024
3.1. Data description
A set of five indicators on the freight unitisation rate of the different modes of transport, i.e. transport in containers and other ‘intermodal transport units’ (ITU) as share of the total freight transport performance by the respective transport mode, are currently compiled by Eurostat. In addition, a dataset is provided for comparison of unitisation across these modes of transport at EU level; to make the data comparable, tonnes-kilometres (TKM) have been estimated for short sea shipping and deep sea shipping, and gross weight of goods has been estimated for rail transport and inland waterways transport. These indicators are:
Unitisation in the different modes of transport (based on TKM for gross weight of goods) (tran_ui_umod).
Unitisation road freight transport (based on tonnes-kilometres for gross weight of goods) (tran_im_uroad).
Unitisation in rail freight transport (based on tonnes-kilometres for gross-gross weight of goods) (tran_im_urail).
Unitisation in inland waterways freight transport (based on tonnes-kilometres for gross-gross weight of goods) (tran_im_uiww).
Unitisation in maritime freight transport (based on tonnes for gross weight of goods) (tran_im_umar).
Furthermore, indicators on the potential for modal shift in road freight transport are compiled by Eurostat. These indicators relates the transport of containers over longer distances (more than 300 kilometres) to total road ITU transport and to total road goods transport, providing information for analysis of the potential for transferring such long-distance transport of containers from road to other modes of transport. This indicator may be combined with indicators on the emission levels of goods transport on road and for other modes of transport in order to analyse actual effects on emissions by such a modal shift. One indicator based on tonnes-kilometres and one based on tonnes are produced:
Modal shift potential of long-distance road freight in containers (based on TKM) (tran_im_mosp).
Modal shift potential of long-distance road freight in containers (based on tonnes) (tran_im_mospt).
Common for all of these indicators is that they use data already available from existing statistics, and thus do not create any additional burden on reporting countries and the initial respondents. The indicators have been produced using Road, Rail, Inland waterways and Maritime transport data, available within the European Statistical System. More detailed information can be found at this website.
3.2. Classification system
Not applicable
3.3. Coverage - sector
Transport
3.4. Statistical concepts and definitions
Unitisation
‘Unitisation’ expresses the share of the total goods transported that are transported in Intermodal Transport Units (ITUs), i.e. standardised transport units suitable for being transported by different modes of transport. Such ITUs comprise containers, swap bodies and other standardised (in terms of size) packaging, which can be moved with simple equipment (e.g. cranes).
Unitisation rates by mode of transport, share of containers in total transport
This indicator is calculated only at EU level. The unit for the basic data is millions of tonne-kilometres. The unitisation is calculated as share in the total transported goods for each mode of transport. To make the data comparable, gross weight of goods has been estimated for rail transport and inland waterways transport and tonnes-kilometres for maritime transport.
Freight unitisation in road transport
In road freight transport, ITUs comprise large containers and other containers. The unit for the basic data is million tonne-kilometres; the unitisation is calculated as the share of large and other containers in total freight transport by road.
For road transport, the weight of transported goods is measured as ‘gross weight’, i.e. including packaging but excluding the tare weight (weight when empty) of the container in which the goods are transported.
For more information please see the following link.
Freight unitisation in rail transport
In rail freight transport, ITUs comprise containers and swap bodies, road vehicles (accompanied) and semi-trailers (unaccompanied). The transport of accompanied (i.e. by the driver) road vehicles by rail corresponds to the concept of “rolling road”, where the entire trucks (lorries, lorries with trailers, road tractors with semi-trailers) are forwarded by special train wagons. Unaccompanied semi-trailers are also forwarded by rail. The unit for the basic data is million tonne-kilometres; the unitisation is calculated as the share of ITUs in total freight transport by rail.
For rail transport, the weight of transported goods is measured as ‘gross-gross weight’, i.e. including packaging and the tare weight (weight when empty) of the container or other ITU in which the goods are transported.
For more information please see the following link.
Freight unitisation in inland waterways transport
In inland waterway transport, ITUs comprise containers. The unit for the basic data is million tonne-kilometres; the unitisation is calculated as the share containers in total freight transport by inland waterways.
For inland waterways transport, the weight of transported goods is measured as ‘gross-gross weight’, i.e. including packaging and the tare weight (weight when empty) of the container in which the goods are transported.
For more information please see the following link.
Freight unitisation in maritime transport
Maritime transport covers short sea shipping and deep sea shipping. In maritime transport, ITUs comprise containers. The unit for the basic data is million tonnes. (It should be noted that this is different from road, rail and inland waterways transport, which use data in million tonne-kilometres.) The unitisation is calculated as the share containers in total freight transport by maritime transport; short sea shipping and deep sea shipping are calculated separately.
The weight of transported goods is measured in ‘gross weight’ for maritime transport, i.e. including packaging but excluding the tare weight (weight when empty) of the container in which the goods are transported.
For more information please see the following link.
For more information on each mode of transport, please consult the metadata of the different modes of transport:
Modal shift potential of long-distance road freight in containers – by tonne-kilometres and by tonnes
These indicators relate the transport of laden containers by road over distances of 300 km or more to the total transport of laden containers by road. Two separate indicators are produced, for transport performance and transport volume respectively:
Modal shift potential of long-distance road freight in containers (by tonne-kilometres for gross weight of goods)
Modal shift potential of long-distance road freight in containers (by tonnes for gross weight of goods)
For more information please see the following link.
Generally, the data cover all EU Member States and the 4 EFTA countries.
However, please note for individual modes of transport:
Rail transport: Cyprus, Malta, Iceland and Liechtenstein have no railways.
Inland waterways transport: Only 12 of the Member States have significant freight transport by inland waterways and are obliged to provide data: Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, France, Croatia, Luxembourg, Hungary, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Romania and Slovakia. On a voluntary basis, Czechia, Italy, Lithuania, Finland and Sweden provide a reduced dataset.
Maritime transport: the Czechia, Luxembourg, Hungary, Austria, Slovakia, Liechtenstein and Switzerland are landlocked countries, and thus have no maritime transport.
3.8. Coverage - Time
Data are available from 2007 onwards.
3.9. Base period
Not applicable.
Tonnes: Gross weight of goods (maritime transport)
Tonne-kilometres: Gross weight (road transport) / gross-gross weight (rail and inland waterways transport) of goods multiplied by distance in kilometres.
Percentage share of the total: Share of containers (ITUs for rail transport) in total freight transport, measured in tonne-kilometres (in tonnes for maritime transport).
Calendar years
6.1. Institutional Mandate - legal acts and other agreements
An overview on all applicable legislation per transport mode can be found using the following link.
6.2. Institutional Mandate - data sharing
Eurostat makes available all non-confidential and sufficiently reliable data on its dissemination website.
7.1. Confidentiality - policy
Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 on European statistics (recital 24 and Article 20(4)) of 11 March 2009 (OJ L 87, p. 164), stipulates the need to establish common principles and guidelines ensuring the confidentiality of data used for the production of European statistics and the access to those confidential data with due account for technical developments and the requirements of users in a democratic society.
7.2. Confidentiality - data treatment
Confidentiality - if data are of truly confidential nature according to Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 on European statistics, they have to be flagged confidential and will not be published by Eurostat. Eurostat makes all non-confidential data available on its dissemination website.
8.1. Release calendar
Not available
8.2. Release calendar access
The next release date for data is announced in the text of each Statistics Explained article (see section 10.2).
8.3. Release policy - user access
In line with the Community legal framework and the European Statistics Code of Practice, Eurostat disseminates European statistics on Eurostat’s website (see item 10 – ‘Dissemination format’) respecting professional independence and in an objective, professional and transparent manner in which all users are treated equitably. The detailed arrangements are governed by the Eurostat protocol on impartial access to Eurostat data for users.
Documentation on methodology for collecting road, rail, maritime and inland waterways transport data can be found online (‘Reference manual on rail transport statistics’, ‘Reference manual on maritime transport statistics’, ‘Reference manual on inland waterways statistics’ and ‘Road freight transport methodology’).
10.7. Quality management - documentation
For further information, please consult the metadata of the different modes of transport:
Data is collected from reliable sources applying high standards with regard to the methodology.
The indicator ‘Unitisation in the different modes of transport’ combines different series of transport statistics. Estimates may be biased by methodological differences in data collection between transport modes.
For further information, please consult the metadata of the different modes of transport:
The main users are the European Commission, international and governmental bodies.
The indicators are used for trend analysis of unitisation (transport in containers and other ITUs) and of the shift of long-distance transport of containers by road towards other modes of transport.
12.2. Relevance - User Satisfaction
Eurostat does not carry out a specific satisfaction survey for these statistics. Methodological issues or other aspects regarding further development are subject of discussions with the relevant national authorities, other services of the Commission or, in some cases, other institutions.
12.3. Completeness
The completeness of the indicators is directly related to the completeness of the source data and varies at national level depending on the availability of the basic variables. The EU aggregate is available for most indicators, starting in 2009.
13.1. Accuracy - overall
For further information, please consult the metadata of the different modes of transport:
Timeliness is subject to the availability of the country data that serve as a basis to calculate indicators for the EU Member States and the EU aggregate.
14.2. Punctuality
In general, the reporting countries respect the legal deadlines. Exceptions are limited to specific or abnormal situations.
15.1. Comparability - geographical
Geographical comparability is generally high, but may vary according to indicator and is sometimes limited by data availability for some Member States.
15.2. Comparability - over time
Comparability over time varies is generally high, but may vary according to indicator and according to Member States. Most data are available starting from 2007.
15.3. Coherence - cross domain
Detailed transport data, collected according to the legal acts or on a voluntary basis, are available online. Data are accompanied by methodological description.
15.4. Coherence - internal
Internal coherence is achieved by validation procedures applied for each mode of transport. For further information, please consult the metadata of the different modes of transport:
These indicators are calculated by re-using data reported by the Member States and EFTA countries for other statistical purposes. The production and dissemination of the logistics indicators puts no additional cost or burden on the Member States or on initial respondents.
17.1. Data revision - policy
These indicators are based on data already disseminated in Eurostat online database by the following domains:
rail_go
iww_go
road_go
mar
The revision policy is therefore effectively the revision policy of those domains.
17.2. Data revision - practice
The revision practice effectively corresponds to the revision practice of the domains listed under sub‑concept 17.1 (data revision – policy).
18.1. Source data
For information on the source data used for calculating the logistics indicators, please consult the metadata of the different modes of transport:
Unitisation and modal shift indicators are calculated using transport data already available in Eurobase.
The Eurostat tables used as source data and the calculation methods used for each of the indicators are indicated below.
Freight unitisation rates by mode of transport
Data are calculated only for EU totals. The unitisation rates for the different modes of transport are converted to be directly comparable across the different modes. The data covers transport of freight in containers as share of total freight transport by the respective mode of transport, with transport measurement in tonnes-kilometres based on gross weight. Gross weight for rail and inland waterways data are estimated by using the tare weight of empty containers. Tonnes-kilometres for short sea shipping and deep sea shipping are Eurostat estimations based on distance matrixes.
The basic data are taken from the same data sets as for the unitisation rates for the respective modes of transport:
The number of tonnes-kilometres of “large containers” and “other containers” are compiled and calculated as a share of each container category in the total number of tonnes-kilometres in freight transport by road. A combination of both container categories is also made. The data used for the calculation are available in Eurobase table road_go_ta_tcrg.
Freight unitisation in rail transport
Data are calculated for each category, i.e. ‘containers’, ‘swap bodies’, ‘road vehicles’ and ‘semi-trailers’, as individual shares in total freight transport by rail (unit: tonnes-kilometres). The data used for the calculation are available in Eurobase table rail_go_contwgt.
Freight unitisation in inland waterways transport
Data are calculated for containers transported on inland waterways, as individual shares in total transport of freight by inland waterways (unit: tonnes-kilometres). The data used for the calculation are available in Eurobase table iww_go_atygo.
Freight unitisation in maritime transport
Data are calculated for containers transported by maritime transport, as individual shares in total maritime transport of goods (unit: million tonnes). The data for the calculation of values on maritime transport are available in Eurobase table mar_mg_am_cwhc.
Modal shift potential of long-distance road freight in containers
Data are calculated for transport volume (tonnes) and transport measurement (tonnes-kilometres), measuring the transport of goods in containers over long distances (more than 300 kilometres) as share of total road goods transport in containers.
The data by type of cargo and distance are available in Eurobase table road_go_ta_tcrg.
18.6. Adjustment
Not applicable.
For more detailed information on the data used as basis for calculating the unitisation and modal shift indicators, please consult the metadata of the different modes of transport:
A set of five indicators on the freight unitisation rate of the different modes of transport, i.e. transport in containers and other ‘intermodal transport units’ (ITU) as share of the total freight transport performance by the respective transport mode, are currently compiled by Eurostat. In addition, a dataset is provided for comparison of unitisation across these modes of transport at EU level; to make the data comparable, tonnes-kilometres (TKM) have been estimated for short sea shipping and deep sea shipping, and gross weight of goods has been estimated for rail transport and inland waterways transport. These indicators are:
Unitisation in the different modes of transport (based on TKM for gross weight of goods) (tran_ui_umod).
Unitisation road freight transport (based on tonnes-kilometres for gross weight of goods) (tran_im_uroad).
Unitisation in rail freight transport (based on tonnes-kilometres for gross-gross weight of goods) (tran_im_urail).
Unitisation in inland waterways freight transport (based on tonnes-kilometres for gross-gross weight of goods) (tran_im_uiww).
Unitisation in maritime freight transport (based on tonnes for gross weight of goods) (tran_im_umar).
Furthermore, indicators on the potential for modal shift in road freight transport are compiled by Eurostat. These indicators relates the transport of containers over longer distances (more than 300 kilometres) to total road ITU transport and to total road goods transport, providing information for analysis of the potential for transferring such long-distance transport of containers from road to other modes of transport. This indicator may be combined with indicators on the emission levels of goods transport on road and for other modes of transport in order to analyse actual effects on emissions by such a modal shift. One indicator based on tonnes-kilometres and one based on tonnes are produced:
Modal shift potential of long-distance road freight in containers (based on TKM) (tran_im_mosp).
Modal shift potential of long-distance road freight in containers (based on tonnes) (tran_im_mospt).
Common for all of these indicators is that they use data already available from existing statistics, and thus do not create any additional burden on reporting countries and the initial respondents. The indicators have been produced using Road, Rail, Inland waterways and Maritime transport data, available within the European Statistical System. More detailed information can be found at this website.
2 May 2024
Unitisation
‘Unitisation’ expresses the share of the total goods transported that are transported in Intermodal Transport Units (ITUs), i.e. standardised transport units suitable for being transported by different modes of transport. Such ITUs comprise containers, swap bodies and other standardised (in terms of size) packaging, which can be moved with simple equipment (e.g. cranes).
Unitisation rates by mode of transport, share of containers in total transport
This indicator is calculated only at EU level. The unit for the basic data is millions of tonne-kilometres. The unitisation is calculated as share in the total transported goods for each mode of transport. To make the data comparable, gross weight of goods has been estimated for rail transport and inland waterways transport and tonnes-kilometres for maritime transport.
Freight unitisation in road transport
In road freight transport, ITUs comprise large containers and other containers. The unit for the basic data is million tonne-kilometres; the unitisation is calculated as the share of large and other containers in total freight transport by road.
For road transport, the weight of transported goods is measured as ‘gross weight’, i.e. including packaging but excluding the tare weight (weight when empty) of the container in which the goods are transported.
For more information please see the following link.
Freight unitisation in rail transport
In rail freight transport, ITUs comprise containers and swap bodies, road vehicles (accompanied) and semi-trailers (unaccompanied). The transport of accompanied (i.e. by the driver) road vehicles by rail corresponds to the concept of “rolling road”, where the entire trucks (lorries, lorries with trailers, road tractors with semi-trailers) are forwarded by special train wagons. Unaccompanied semi-trailers are also forwarded by rail. The unit for the basic data is million tonne-kilometres; the unitisation is calculated as the share of ITUs in total freight transport by rail.
For rail transport, the weight of transported goods is measured as ‘gross-gross weight’, i.e. including packaging and the tare weight (weight when empty) of the container or other ITU in which the goods are transported.
For more information please see the following link.
Freight unitisation in inland waterways transport
In inland waterway transport, ITUs comprise containers. The unit for the basic data is million tonne-kilometres; the unitisation is calculated as the share containers in total freight transport by inland waterways.
For inland waterways transport, the weight of transported goods is measured as ‘gross-gross weight’, i.e. including packaging and the tare weight (weight when empty) of the container in which the goods are transported.
For more information please see the following link.
Freight unitisation in maritime transport
Maritime transport covers short sea shipping and deep sea shipping. In maritime transport, ITUs comprise containers. The unit for the basic data is million tonnes. (It should be noted that this is different from road, rail and inland waterways transport, which use data in million tonne-kilometres.) The unitisation is calculated as the share containers in total freight transport by maritime transport; short sea shipping and deep sea shipping are calculated separately.
The weight of transported goods is measured in ‘gross weight’ for maritime transport, i.e. including packaging but excluding the tare weight (weight when empty) of the container in which the goods are transported.
For more information please see the following link.
For more information on each mode of transport, please consult the metadata of the different modes of transport:
Modal shift potential of long-distance road freight in containers – by tonne-kilometres and by tonnes
These indicators relate the transport of laden containers by road over distances of 300 km or more to the total transport of laden containers by road. Two separate indicators are produced, for transport performance and transport volume respectively:
Modal shift potential of long-distance road freight in containers (by tonne-kilometres for gross weight of goods)
Modal shift potential of long-distance road freight in containers (by tonnes for gross weight of goods)
For more information please see the following link.
Generally, the data cover all EU Member States and the 4 EFTA countries.
However, please note for individual modes of transport:
Rail transport: Cyprus, Malta, Iceland and Liechtenstein have no railways.
Inland waterways transport: Only 12 of the Member States have significant freight transport by inland waterways and are obliged to provide data: Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, France, Croatia, Luxembourg, Hungary, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Romania and Slovakia. On a voluntary basis, Czechia, Italy, Lithuania, Finland and Sweden provide a reduced dataset.
Maritime transport: the Czechia, Luxembourg, Hungary, Austria, Slovakia, Liechtenstein and Switzerland are landlocked countries, and thus have no maritime transport.
Calendar years
For further information, please consult the metadata of the different modes of transport:
Tonnes: Gross weight of goods (maritime transport)
Tonne-kilometres: Gross weight (road transport) / gross-gross weight (rail and inland waterways transport) of goods multiplied by distance in kilometres.
Percentage share of the total: Share of containers (ITUs for rail transport) in total freight transport, measured in tonne-kilometres (in tonnes for maritime transport).
Unitisation and modal shift indicators are calculated using transport data already available in Eurobase.
The Eurostat tables used as source data and the calculation methods used for each of the indicators are indicated below.
Freight unitisation rates by mode of transport
Data are calculated only for EU totals. The unitisation rates for the different modes of transport are converted to be directly comparable across the different modes. The data covers transport of freight in containers as share of total freight transport by the respective mode of transport, with transport measurement in tonnes-kilometres based on gross weight. Gross weight for rail and inland waterways data are estimated by using the tare weight of empty containers. Tonnes-kilometres for short sea shipping and deep sea shipping are Eurostat estimations based on distance matrixes.
The basic data are taken from the same data sets as for the unitisation rates for the respective modes of transport:
The number of tonnes-kilometres of “large containers” and “other containers” are compiled and calculated as a share of each container category in the total number of tonnes-kilometres in freight transport by road. A combination of both container categories is also made. The data used for the calculation are available in Eurobase table road_go_ta_tcrg.
Freight unitisation in rail transport
Data are calculated for each category, i.e. ‘containers’, ‘swap bodies’, ‘road vehicles’ and ‘semi-trailers’, as individual shares in total freight transport by rail (unit: tonnes-kilometres). The data used for the calculation are available in Eurobase table rail_go_contwgt.
Freight unitisation in inland waterways transport
Data are calculated for containers transported on inland waterways, as individual shares in total transport of freight by inland waterways (unit: tonnes-kilometres). The data used for the calculation are available in Eurobase table iww_go_atygo.
Freight unitisation in maritime transport
Data are calculated for containers transported by maritime transport, as individual shares in total maritime transport of goods (unit: million tonnes). The data for the calculation of values on maritime transport are available in Eurobase table mar_mg_am_cwhc.
Modal shift potential of long-distance road freight in containers
Data are calculated for transport volume (tonnes) and transport measurement (tonnes-kilometres), measuring the transport of goods in containers over long distances (more than 300 kilometres) as share of total road goods transport in containers.
The data by type of cargo and distance are available in Eurobase table road_go_ta_tcrg.
For information on the source data used for calculating the logistics indicators, please consult the metadata of the different modes of transport:
Timeliness is subject to the availability of the country data that serve as a basis to calculate indicators for the EU Member States and the EU aggregate.
Geographical comparability is generally high, but may vary according to indicator and is sometimes limited by data availability for some Member States.
Comparability over time varies is generally high, but may vary according to indicator and according to Member States. Most data are available starting from 2007.
