France monthly rail freight: leaving tonne-km
France monthly rail freight: leaving tonne-km stood at 0.41 billion tonne-km in Dec 2025, according to INSEE – Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques (BDM). It is one of the indicators in the Monthly transport traffic table (Value · Monthly), with a complete series running from Jan 1994 to Dec 2025. The complete series with an interactive chart, free to download.
This indicator in the Monthly transport traffic table
| Indicator | 12-2025 | 11-2025 | 10-2025 | 09-2025 | 08-2025 | 07-2025 | 06-2025 | 05-2025 | 04-2025 | 03-2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tonne-kilometres, total | 2.47 | 2.82 | 3.11 | 2.95 | 2.64 | 3.07 | 2.89 | 2.89 | 2.92 | 3.06 | |
| International, leaving France | 0.41 | 0.46 | 0.51 | 0.48 | 0.42 | 0.47 | 0.47 | 0.51 | 0.48 | 0.51 | |
| Transit | 0.17 | 0.2 | 0.22 | 0.21 | 0.17 | 0.25 | 0.22 | 0.24 | 0.21 | 0.24 |
Understanding france monthly rail freight: leaving tonne-km
Transport output for international rail freight leaving the national territory is quantified here in tonne-kilometres, combining the weight of exported goods with the distance they travel from their domestic origin to the border crossing. It isolates outbound export logistics from domestic, entering, and transit rail movements, reflecting the domestic transport effort expended on moving goods toward foreign markets. This metric differs from export tonnage by capturing the length of the domestic haul required to reach international exit points.
Analyzing these export transport figures requires accounting for foreign rail network disruptions, continental port connectivity, and seasonal industrial production cycles. Preliminary monthly data frequently face revision as cross-border transport records are finalized. Year-on-year comparisons provide the most honest assessment of export logistics performance by filtering out recurring seasonal holidays. Observers should avoid comparing leaving tonne-kilometres directly with domestic output metrics, as export routing often involves specialized long-distance freight corridors.
Frequently asked questions
- What transport activity is captured in leaving international tonne-kilometres?
- The movement of exported goods from domestic origins to the international border exit point, weighted by distance.
- How does this series differ from leaving international tonnes?
- It incorporates haul distance, measuring transport output in tonne-kilometres instead of raw export weight.
- What factors can cause sudden shifts in export rail transport output?
- Changes in the geographic location of domestic manufacturing plants relative to border crossings alter average haul distances.