Rhône Modal Shift, a consortium led by German logistics services provider Rhenus Logistics, has been awarded a 25-year concession for the management of the Vienne Sud and Portes-lès-Valence river ports, following a call to tender by state utility, Compagnie Nationale du Rhône (CNR). The ports are located south of Lyon at the heart of France’s premier economic region.
Rhône Modal Shift’s remit will be to double river and rail freight volumes along France’s Mediterranean-Rhône-Saône (MeRS) freight corridor by 2032. At the end of last year, the CNR awarded concessions for the river ports of Lyon and Arles, also situated along the corridor. In total, 80 million euros will be invested in modernising the four ports and promoting carbon-free logistics.
Rhenus has a 51% stake in Rhône Modal Shift while the Chambers of Commerce and Industry (CCI) of Nord Isère and Drôme each hold a 20% stake. The remainder of the capital (9%) is in the hands of Report Modal, owned by the CCI of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.
Growing interest
“The objective of the state and its partners is clear: to develop a service offering for companies seeking an efficient and carbon-free supply chain. The arrival of Rhône Modal Shift is a new step in this direction but also a strong testament to the attractiveness of the MeRS corridor to businesses,” commented Fabienne Buccio, state prefect of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region.
The port of Vienne Sud handled 115,000 tons of goods by river and 137,000 tons by rail in 2024. As for the port of Portes-lès-Valence, it handled 80,000 tons by river and 171,000 tons by rail last year.
In December 2024, CMA CGM led a consortium which was awarded a 30-year sub-concession by the CNR to operate two terminals at Lyon port where the ocean shipping giant is planning to boost the modal shift for container traffic with investment of 40 million euros. The CNR estimates that shifting part of the freight flows currently transported by truck to barge and train to and from the four ports should lead to 120,000 fewer lorries annually on the road network in the Rhône Valley.