France regional rail freight tonnage: Grand Est
France regional rail freight tonnage: Grand Est stood at 14.22 million tonnes in 2025, according to SDES – Service des données et études statistiques (Ministère de la Transition écologique). It is one of the indicators in the Freight transport (annual) table (Value · Annual), with a complete series running from 2016 to 2025. The complete series with an interactive chart, free to download.
This indicator in the Freight transport (annual) table
| Indicator | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| French regions | |||||||||||
| Grand Est | 14.22 | 14.01 | 14.39 | 16.55 | 18.16 | 13.89 | 14.02 | 15.03 | 16.72 | 15.85 | |
| Pays de la Loire | 1.77 | 1.43 | 1.24 | 1.47 | 1.09 | 0.17 | 1.06 | 0.97 | 0.81 | 0.68 |
Understanding france regional rail freight tonnage: Grand Est
Physical mass of freight loaded onto rail wagons originating exclusively within the designated administrative territory, measured in million tonnes. This metric counts the gross weight of all goods dispatched from local loading facilities, sidings, and industrial terminals located inside the specified regional boundaries, regardless of their final destination elsewhere in the country or abroad. It contrasts with destination-based metrics by isolating the initial production and dispatch nodes rather than the receiving end of the logistics chain. The indicator sums all product categories without weighting for the distance traveled by the railcars.
Evaluating this regional tally requires accounting for localized industrial output fluctuations and infrastructure changes at key regional rail terminals. Year-on-year comparisons offer the most reliable analytical insight by smoothing out annual plant shutdowns, seasonal agricultural harvests, and weather-related disruptions that affect regional freight generation. Revisions occasionally arise from late reporting by regional terminal operators or corrected weight declarations from industrial shippers. Analysts must avoid comparing these tonnage figures directly with transport performance metrics, as a high tonnage count over a very short distance yields a deceptively low tonne-kilometre output.
Frequently asked questions
- Does this regional metric count freight passing through the territory without stopping?
- No, the series strictly records shipments that originate from loading points situated within the specified regional boundaries.
- Why is physical tonnage used instead of distance-weighted units for this series?
- Physical tonnage measures the raw volume of goods dispatched from local facilities, providing a direct gauge of regional industrial freight generation.
- How do factory closures within the region impact these annual figures?
- The closure of major industrial plants or local loading terminals within the boundary directly reduces the total freight tonnage originating from the area.