Captrain France and Brittany Ferries have launched a new rail freight service for semi-trailers, taking 24,000 trucks off the road yearly between Cherbourg and Bayonne, in the south of France. The rail highway has been long in the works.
Captrain is taking 44 semi-trailers from the Port of Cherbourg to Bayonne and back six times per week. “This cooperation illustrates our shared ambition to support major logistics players in their transition towards greener, more efficient supply chains”, the operator writes on LinkedIn.
In total, the six weekly round trips add up to 24,000 trucks removed from France’s roads annually. There are around 50,000 trucks that pass through the Cherbourg port each year. It also saves on 20,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions. “It demonstrates how rail freight offers a credible and concrete alternative to road transport, even on domestic flows”, Captrain says.
Connecting markets
The rail highway project between Cherbourg and Bayonne was first unveiled in early 2020. After years of planning, infrastructure upgrades, and pandemic-related delays, the service is now underway. It connects France’s Atlantic corridor with key ferry ports serving the UK, Ireland and Spain.
In order to make this service a reality, France had to install two new rail-road terminals at both ends of the routes. Moreover, the Port of Cherbourg needed a renewed connection to the national network, after a 20-year hiatus.