Barcelona–France: skipping the track-gauge trap
It’s a debut. A direct freight-dedicated rail connection to France has started operations from the port of Barcelona for the first time. From now on, the French cities of Toulouse and Lyon will be served by rail cargo links without the need to change locomotives when crossing the border.
The container service, created by the companies APM Terminals Railways Spain, Synergy and Naviland Cargo, located at the Best railway terminal, will provide four weekly connections between the port of Barcelona and the southern French cities four times a week – three to Toulouse and one to Lyon.
This will also be the first 750 m container train to run regularly on the Spanish rail network. Currently, the port of Barcelona is the only hub in Spain with a European UIC gauge connection from the terminal to the border with France.
The extra-long train will provide a capacity of 108 teu per journey, compared to the average of 68 teu that usual trains carry. In terms of sustainability, this rail transport generates ten times less emissions than truck transport, while also avoiding congestion on the road network.
Port of Barcelona president Lluís Salvadó underscored the historical milestones achieved by this new service and thanked the companies that made it possible. (cd)