Blog

Inside the paradoxical infrastructure boom reshaping global connectivity

Europe is pouring investment into tomorrow’s inland network. The Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) has selected 94 projects for nearly 2.8bn in 2025, with 77% of funds going to rail. And this isn’t a new trend; EU member states spent 47.38bn on road infrastructure in 2022, while 636m was designated to inland waterway projects in 2023.

The direction of travel is clear. Yet, an extra track or a new lane under construction doesn’t necessarily equal supply chain resilience while works are ongoing. And they don’t solve the wider issue that booking systems, regulations and border handovers still differ by country.

This article shows how Maersk Intermodal – Multi Carrier service helps you unlock inland agility today while positioning for the long-term benefits of the new infrastructure.

The promise and pain of corridors under construction

Two promising developments demonstrate how logistics optionality will grow for businesses once complete.

Middle Corridor (Caspian Rail-Ferry-Rail)

The Middle Corridor is a developing solution that’s growing in capacity quickly – volumes roughly doubled to 2m tonnes in 2023 and rose a further 63-70% in 2024. Transit times have fallen from 38-53 days to 18-23 days already, making it a viable Eurasia alternative. But one that is still maturing in capacity, processes and synchronisation.

There is still work to be done to ensure that this solution is fully optimised for mainstream use at maximum capacity. In the meantime, sea crossings are still suffering with wait times of up to two weeks in typical weather, and much longer waits during storms. Low speeds, shortage of vessels and long dwell times are also still big challenges on both sides of the sea corridor.

North Sea–Mediterranean and Med–Europe rail corridor (Spain – Germany leg)

The Mediterranean and North Sea–Rhine–Med corridors as the two multimodal spines linking Iberian ports to Central and Northern Europe.

The route includes upgraded Spanish highspeed freight track, Perpignan–Figueres cross-border section and Lyon Turin base tunnel, which is at the time of writing still under construction.

With temporary closures along the Mediterranean Corridor, rolling works between France and Germany, and limits at the Lyon-Turin axis until the tunnel opens, disruption is set to continue along this route for some time.

The pain

These corridor pathways are a clear signal of progress, but their infrastructure is just the beginning. The short-term reality is that construction, fragmented ownership, inconsistent booking systems, varying regional regulations still create friction.

Turn the construction years into your competitive advantage

Maersk Intermodal – Multi Carrier service helps bridge these gaps. Reacting to realtime vessel movements, aligning pick-ups, and removing the need to manage a web of local providers yourself.

Maersk Intermodal – Multi Carrier unlocks options at scale

• 440 weekly trains across Europe
• 130 barges on core waterways
• 700+ vetted trucking partners for first and last mile
• Ocean-carrier agnostic – we collect from any carrier

Our network helps you reduce complexity with a standardised approach – reducing the need for multiple inland contracts. If vessels are late, inland alternatives keep cargo flowing so your supply chain maintains reliability. Meanwhile, access to rail, barge, and truck lets you pivot as works progress or constraints arise.

Maersk orchestrates inland modes together to unlock complexity in a simple, predictable flow.

We cover the inland journey end-to-end, regardless of which ocean carrier shipped your cargo in. That means fewer contracts, fewer touchpoints and faster decisions.

Our ocean-agnostic partnership means you’re not tied to one carrier for all your inland and ocean booking. So, rerouting inland flows is easier, with seamless coordination through one Maersk point of contact.

We harmonise timestamps from terminals, rail operators and trucking partners into a single ETA that you can trust. One that notifies when gate-in, gate-out movements happen without you needing to chase providers.

Our control-tower model monitors milestones and triggers quick actions when risk appears. Re-slotting pick-ups if delays are detected and moving you to the next available departure if paths are cancelled.

Unlock agility without the wait

Don’t wait for a perfect network to materialise. Build reliable, compliant supply chains now with an intermodal multi carrier model that flexes with both your demand and ongoing works.

Resilience isn’t just the future, it’s the now

Europe’s infrastructure investment is accelerating – but construction introduces fresh friction. And while new corridors will bring long-term optionality, agility is essential today.

Maersk Intermodal – Multi Carrier turns the construction years into competitive advantage, with all the flexibility you need across inland solutions managed with a single partner.

Our ocean-agnostic model, deep operational know-how and wide inland network means you can bring about predictable flow now, while strategically repositioning for what’s next.

Unlock agility with Intermodal – Multi Carrier today