CEE Transportation 
Sector Report 2026/27

CEE Transportation Sector Report 2026-2027 Overview

▪️ Sector Overview and Outlook

The EMIS Insights CEE Transportation Sector Report 2026-2027 presents the transportation sector in Poland, Czechia, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia and Croatia as a backbone sector undergoing structural upgrading. Transport activity across the region benefits from CEE’s role as a manufacturing and logistics bridge between western Europe, the Balkans, and eastern markets, while facing capacity, infrastructure, and regulatory pressures. Readers receive a clear regional narrative of how CEE transport is shifting from volume-driven growth toward efficiency, connectivity, and corridor-based competitiveness.

The short to medium term outlook expects moderate growth, driven by EU-funded infrastructure investment, recovery in industrial output, and rising intra-regional trade. These will be offset by cost inflation, labour shortages, and environmental compliance requirements.

▪️ Drivers and Constraints

The analysis identifies key growth drivers in EU cohesion and recovery funding, TEN-T corridor development, nearshoring-related freight demand, and continued road and rail modernisation. At the same time, the sector faces structural constraints including infrastructure bottlenecks, ageing rolling stock, driver shortages, rising fuel and energy costs, and tightening emissions regulations. The report shows how these opposing forces shape divergent outcomes across countries and transport modes.

▪️ Detailed Coverage of Transport Modes and Traffic Trends

The report provides granular coverage of road, rail, air, inland waterways, and maritime transport, showing road freight as the dominant mode across CEE. Rail freight emerges as strategically important but unevenly developed, constrained by infrastructure quality and cross-border interoperability. Passenger transport trends reflect post-pandemic normalisation, with aviation recovering unevenly and rail passenger traffic supported by public investment and policy prioritisation. The mode-by-mode breakdown explains why road transport remains dominant, why rail is strategically favoured but operationally constrained, and where modal rebalancing remains aspirational rather than achieved.

▪️ Competitive Landscape and Market Structure

This report section maps the competitive structure of the CEE transportation sector, highlighting a fragmented landscape in road haulage dominated by small and medium-sized operators alongside a limited number of large logistics groups and state-owned rail incumbents. The report profiles leading national railways, airport operators, and logistics companies, and looks into consolidation pressures driven by scale requirements, compliance costs, and digitalisation. Ownership structures, ranging from state-controlled rail and infrastructure entities to privately owned road and logistics firms, are shown to be central to competitive dynamics.

▪️ Infrastructure Investment and TEN-T Integration

The report devotes significant attention to infrastructure development, positioning EU-funded projects as the primary catalyst for capacity expansion and quality upgrades. TEN-T core and comprehensive corridors, cross-border rail links, motorway construction, port upgrades, and intermodal terminals are analysed as long-term competitiveness drivers. Delays, cost overruns, and coordination challenges are also addressed, underlining execution risk despite strong funding availability.

▪️ Regulatory and Policy Environment

An extensive regulatory section unpacks the institutional and policy framework governing CEE transportation. It covers national transport ministries, infrastructure agencies, rail regulators, and aviation authorities, alongside EU-level rules on market access, cabotage, emissions, and safety. The report explains how Fit for 55, emissions trading expansion, and road-transport regulation are reshaping cost structures and competitive positioning, particularly for road freight operators.

▪️ International Connectivity and Trade Flows

The report offers a strategic perspective on why CEE transportation matters not only domestically, but as a critical part of European trade and supply-chain reconfiguration. It examines east-west and north-south corridors, cross-border freight movements, and the growing importance of intermodal logistics linking road, rail, and ports. Developments related to Ukraine, Black Sea routes, and shifting trade patterns are assessed as structurally important for transit volumes and network resilience.