The port of Dunkirk has selected Modalis to operate the combined transport terminal currently under construction at the French Channel port. It is scheduled to enter service in March 2026.
Modalis, via its combined transport subsidiary Delta Rail, is already preparing the launch of a regular service between northern Italy and Dunkirk, which will be operational as soon as the terminal opens. The new facility will also be open to accommodate services from other operators.
Four 750-metre trains a day
Located on a 9.6-hectare site along the Loon rail link, in the immediate vicinity of the port’s ro-ro terminals from where ferries operate to the UK and Ireland, the ‘combi’ hub will be “a key tool for relieving congestion on the road network and accelerating the energy transition in logistics flows,” the port said.
Construction is set to begin on the terminal in August and the project will attract investment of around 25 million euros. With a handling capacity of up to four 750-metre trains a day, it will focus on the transport of unaccompanied semi-trailers, swap bodies and Intermodal Transport Units (ITUs). In addition to ITU handling, the terminal will also host value-added services such as washing, maintenance of swap bodies and semi-trailers and minor rail maintenance.
‘Significant step towards decarbonisation’
“This new terminal represents a major opportunity for modal shift, not only for the carriers using the port’s ro-ro services, but also for the entire industrial and logistics ecosystem. It represents a significant step towards the decarbonisation of the transport chains, in perfect harmony with the strategy of the regional players aiming for carbon neutrality by 2050,” explained the chairman of Dunkirk-Port’s management board, Maurice Georges.
For his part, Modalis’ chairman, Bernard Meï, highlighted that the complementarity between the logistics, port and rail ecosystems was one of the major challenges for decarbonisation. “Seaports have an essential role to play in intermodal trade-offs: 80% of goods arrive via them, and it is here that the choice is made as to whether to use rail, waterway or road transport. Equipping ports with modern modal shift infrastructures and high-performance handling equipment will guarantee a demand for the pooling of freight throughout France”.
Connections to multimodal hubs
Dunkirk-Port is linked to the national and European rail networks, notably via France’s eastern regional line, to Germany, the Rhône Valley and Italy. Since mid-2022, the extension of Dunkirk’s container terminal’s four tracks has made it possible to operate block trains, generating significant productivity gains.
Intermodal transport services offer a range of connections to hubs in northern and eastern France, such as Dourges and Metz and the hubs in the south of the country – Lyon, Miramas, Marseille, Fos-sur-mer, Bordeaux and Bayonne-Mouguerre. Operators include Greenmodal and Sogestran Logistics.
Last year, CEVA Logistics, part of the CMA CGM group, began operations at its new finished vehicle logistics (FVL) hub at Dunkirk-Port. The hub is equipped with a rail spur and connects to maritime import and export trade flows to and from the northern French maritime gateway. The rail spur also allows CEVA to offer its customers long-distance rail transport for finished vehicles to and from Eastern European countries.