Teamwork gets goods on track
Industrial companies increasingly rely on the railways in Alsace. The port of Strasbourg is the second-largest inland port in France. Together with partners it wants to promote the development of rail transport more, and thus strengthen its position as an environment-friendly trimodal Alsatian hub.
Two new railway connections were introduced in eastern France recently. One links Lauterburg in Alsace (France) with the Belgian maritime port of Antwerp, whilst the other one runs between the Alsatian inland port of Strasbourg and the sea port city of Rouen, in the northern French region of Normandy.
The container train linking Lauterburg and Antwerp was initiated by Bolloré Logistics. Several partners are involved, including the port of Strasbourg itself, as well as the German shipping services provider Haeger & Schmidt Logistics, which specialises in inland shipping activities.
For rail transport, the leasing company Wascosa contributes the wagons required, MSC supplies the maritime containers and the French railway enterprise Fret SNCF handles rail transport needs. The first successful test train has been run and thus the new train will now run regularly between Alsace and Antwerp.
The Strasbourg–Rouen train runs on a revitalised old railway line for Soprema. The industrial company transports raw materials and finished products from its factory in Alsace and its depots in the Paris region and western France on the reactivated east–west link. Now that the old railway line has been commissioned Soprema will be able to shift many transports from road to rail. Trucks will only still run between Rouen and the depots.
A reactivated east–west connection
Soprema can cut its greenhouse gases by about 50% thanks to the new transport solution. The project is being implemented in collaboration with the two railway enterprises Fret SNCF and ACPMC, as well as with the port of Strasbourg.
The two new train connections support the port of Strasbourg’s ambitions to consolidate its overall position as an environment-friendly trimodal hub and to develop the multimodal gateway into a more important railway hub in Alsace.