The Social and Economic Committee (CSE) of Fret SNCF recently sent a letter to the French government asking to introduce a moratorium to review the discontinuation of the company. “We believe that the hasty action...Read more
The tri-modal terminal in the port of Lauterbourg, part of the Ports of Strasbourg, deployed the first freight train to the port of Antwerp. The initiative sees the involvement of big industry players including MSC,...Read more
The French government announced the cancellation of 10 billion euros that were supposed to be invested throughout the country in 2024. The infrastructure and transport sectors will see their budget decrease by over 341 million...Read more
A 30 kilometres stretch of a railway line between Château-Gontier-sur-Mayenne and Sablé-sur-Sarthe, located in the Mayenne département in centre-west France, is being rebuilt in order to re-launch rail freight services, which will handle around 80,000...Read more
Soprema, a French company specialising in waterproofing, roofing, soundproofing and thermal insulation, has invested 150,000 euros in re-activating a domestic rail freight service between Strasbourg and Rouen.Read more
The European Union may break up DB Cargo due to the rail operator’s large losses, which have reached nearly 500 million euros. Company sources reported to Reuters that the EU may consider the figures and...Read more
INTERVIEWLabour unions at Fret SNCF have highlighted that the ‘discontinuity’ of the French state railways’ biggest rail freight subsidiary has played directly into the hands of its biggest rival – DB Cargo France.Read more
French freight transport and logistics group Mendy has launched a weekly rail freight service from its multi-modal terminal in Hendaye, near Bayonne, on the France-Spain border, to Lyon, transporting supplies for a major infrastructure project...Read more
The latest round of Military Mobility funds provided by the EU Commission as part of CEF has been approved. Railway projects are once again highlighted. Of the 807 million euros released by the Commission, approximately...Read more
The French region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, which includes Lyon, said it is willing to cover the 20 million euros missing for the studies for the French access routes to the future Turin-Lyon railway. The region President,...Read more
The Port of Marseille Fos (GPMM) saw its containerised rail freight traffic dip by 22 per cent last year compared to 2022, reducing its modal share from 16.9 per cent to 15.2 per cent.Read more
The project for the Turin-Lyon railway continues to create controversies in France. The country is running the serious risk of missing out on key EU funds from the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF). The Lyon-Turin Transalpine...Read more
INTERVIEWAfter a difficult 2023, French rail freight is unlikely to fare much better this year, the head of a leading player in the sector has warned in an interview with RailFreight.com.Read more
French infrastructure manager (IM) SNCF Réseau claims there has been a marked improvement in customer service levels in recent years. The volume of freight train paths on offer increased by 72 per cent since 2020....Read more
A French Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry has published a report on the nation’s rail freight sector, providing 28 recommendations to restore equity and fair competition with road transport. The document notes “the persistent obstacles to...Read more
France’s intermodal transport players are rather lacking in optimism when it comes to the market outlook for next year after what has been a very challenging 2023. A snapshot survey by the industry body Groupement...Read more
Opposed to Fret SNCF’s “economic discontinuity,” the French railways’ major labour union, the CGT, is not giving up the fight to force the government and the EU to review the plans for the rail freight...Read more
Dunkirk, which claims to be France’s leading multi-modal port, is looking to increase its rail freight traffic through a programme of investment in dedicated facilities. Last year, the French port handled 9,5 million tonnes of...Read more
The European Commission (EC) allocated 19 million euros for the construction of a new multimodal terminal in Mouguerre, near Bayonne, in southwestern France. The terminal will be managed by Brittany Ferries and will be equipped...Read more
The leading private rail company on the French market, DB Cargo France, will later this month be taking on some of the traffic routes relinquished by Fret SNCF. The Deutsche Bahn subsidiary is also in...Read more
Strikes are the talk of the town, or better of the continent, again. France has been affected by them significantly during 2023. The country and its railway sector will probably avoid another major impact during...Read more