100 billion for rail in France until 2042, but is it enough?
France’s Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne claimed that the French government is ready to allocate 100 billion euros for the execution of the plan presented by the Infrastructure Orientation Council (COI). The plan analyses the necessary...Read more
Rail operators in France struggle to pay their electricity bills
Electricity contracts must be subject to renegotiation immediately, says the French rail association AFRA. Many rail freight operators in France struggle with the increased electricity bills, which threaten their viability. Infrastructure manager SNCF Réseau quadrupled...Read more
National railway strike in France is on…again
Workers of the French state railway utility SNCF are on strike. The strike started on Monday 30 January at 7 pm local time and runs until Wednesday, 1 February 6 am. It is expected to...Read more
Brittany Ferries confirms wagon order for ‘rail freight motorway’ service
Brittany Ferries has confirmed an order of wagons from French manufacturer Lohr ahead of the launch of its ‘rail freight motorway’ service between Cherbourg and Bayonne in France. The service is scheduled to be launched...Read moreFrench intermodal freight operator appeals to state on energy price hike
Brittany-based Lahaye Global Logistics, one of the pioneers of combined road-rail transport development in France, has called on the state authorities to intervene to limit the impact of rising energy prices in the rail freight...Read more
Electricity prices in France will multiply by 8.5
SNCF Réseau will increase the electricity prices in France, from 56 euros/MWh in 2021 to 473,51 euros/MWh in 2023, which equals to an 8,5 fold increase. According to Alliance 4F, the largest rail freight association...Read more
The new railway facility in Nantes is up and running
The new rail logistics area in Nantes-Blottereau, in northwestern France, was inaugurated Thursday, 17 November. The new facility, which replaced the one in Nantes-Etat, will be suitable for 750-metre-long trains and will be also used...Read more
France: Saint Varent-Parthenay line will reopen in 2023 after eight years
The renovation process of a railway line in western France, unused since 2015, started earlier in November. The 30-kilometres-long section, connecting Saint Varent and Parthenay, should reopen for freight transportation, with trains operating at a...Read moreFrance aims for better rail capacity management following disputes
France is rethinking the processes of train capacity allocation in its railway network. After some disputes between rail operators and the infrastructure manager SNCF Réseau, the Transport Regulatory Authority of France (ART) opened a consultation...Read moreSNCF develops DACE: a system for ‘the intelligent detection of train anomalies’
SNCF’s rail network manager, SNCF Réseau and Rail Logistics Europe, an entity grouping its rail freight units, have developed a system for “the intelligent detection of train anomalies.”Read moreNetwork access dispute involving SNCF Reseau resolved favouring complainants
With a decision published on 6 September, the Autorité de Régulation des Transports (ART) resolved a dispute concerning “the technical conditions and operations for access to the railway network”. The French authority decided in favour...Read more
Open Modal unveils plans for intermodal terminal near Marseille
France’s Groupe Open Modal has unveiled plans to build a state-of-the-art intermodal terminal for swap bodies and containers in Miramas, on the outskirts of Marseille. The investment in the project is estimated at over 30...Read moreSNCF Réseau modernises signalling in Paris-Lyon line
French railway manager SNCF Réseau is carrying out signalling modernisation work on the Paris-Lyon line between Fain-lès-Montbard and Nuits-sous-Ravières. The works, which started at the beginning of the year, will be completed by the end...Read more
Rail freight becomes key in French cereal supply chain
SNCF Réseau, the French rail infrastructure manager, and Soufflet, a French agri-food group and cereal exporter, are cooperating to improve the position of rail freight in the cereal supply chain. The French IM will assist...Read more
SNCF Réseau and French Senate collide over rail freight recovery plan
The French infrastructure manager SNCF Réseau and the French Senate (upper house of the French parliament) are in an open conflict regarding the realisation of the national rail freight recovery plan. SNCF Réseau’s CEO underlined...Read more
France draws national plan to develop rail freight
The French state wants to reverse rail’s lost market share during the coming years. For this purpose, it developed an action plan with specific goals: doubling rail freight’s modal share by 2030 ( from 9...Read more
French rail and inland shipping sectors merge networks
An interesting development from France sees the rail freight and inland shipping sectors establishing a rail-river alliance. SNCF Réseau and VNF want to work together and strengthen operational complementarity between rail and river networks to...Read moreRail link between France and Italy via Modane reopened
The railway line in Maurienne valley linking France and Italy via Modane has been reopened today in the early morning. The route had been closed for train traffic for three weeks due to a mudslide....Read more
Explosions to limit risk of rockfall near Modane
The disrupted railway line connecting France and Italy through Modane is expected to be reopened on 31 July. The area is currently consolidated as there was a risk of rockslides. This was in addition to...Read more