Fresh on Track, a European public-private partnership, is launching the pilot project ‘Fresh Train’ to put more fresh produce on the rails. With trains running between Valencia, Rotterdam and Oslo, the goal is to “demonstrate the viability of a sustainable, scalable, and cost-competitive rail corridor for fresh produce between Southern and Northern Europe.”
The pilot should start towards the end of 2025 and offer a weekly temperature-controlled rail service between Valencia, Barcelona and Rotterdam. It will offer fixed slots, customs facilitation and door-to-door solutions in cooperation with multiple logistics partners. “This approach spreads operational risks and enables economies of scale”, Fresh on Track says.
A launch event on 1 October in Madrid featured contributions from the Dutch infrastructure ministry, the Spanish transport ministry, and participants Coop, Ahold Delhaize and Greenyard company Bakker Barendrecht.
The fresh produce sector is feeling the heat
The idea for the Fresh Train came about due to a sense of urgency in the fresh produce sector. “There is significant congestion at key road nodes, lead times are under pressure and there is the demand for more sustainable transport”, explains Eric Mekenkamp, Fresh Train programme manager.
Not only will European transport need to reduce CO2 emissions and meet sustainability targets, but it also encounters structural challenges such as driver shortages in the road sector. The railways could help overcome those challenges.
The outcome of the pilot train will become clear after “a couple of months to a year”, when specific attention will be given to the question of reliability. Transit times and the quality of the train service are key. Specific monitoring actions will be put in place for this, says Mekenkamp.
A competitive modal shift
Fresh on Track is clear about its goal: a modal shift from road to rail for fresh produce. Rail freight insiders will know how much of a challenge that proves to be. Mekenkamp is reassuring: “There is plenty of interest from parties in the fresh produce sector and shippers to load a train. In terms of price and the transit time it is also competitive.”
The Fresh Train also highlights scalability as one of its assets. Even though the pilot project will start with one trip per week, that can be expanded to have more frequent round trips. “The fresh produce sector wants higher frequencies for reliability purposes and daily servicing”, says Mekenkamp. Scalability also applies geographically, with Berlin and Munich being among the possible future destinations.
“Fresh on Track is not only a logistics project – it’s a test case for a broader system shift. If successful, it can provide a blueprint for sustainable, cross-border fresh corridors that reduce CO2, alleviate congestion, and ensure reliable supply chains across Europe”, concludes Mekenkamp.