France’s rail infrastructure manager SNCF Réseau has hailed a dynamic year for combined rail-road freight transport. A total of 10 new services were launched in 2025 and an ever-increasing number of operators are entering the segment. However, industry leaders still think that there is significant room for improvement.
SNCF Réseau also highlighted that the sector as a whole has experienced sustained growth this year, industrial and bulk traffic flows included. “This is an unprecedented level to date, illustrating the vitality of rail freight in France, which is set to continue in 2026,” the company. said. It is supporting such growth on a daily basis through increased mobilisation, greater capacity, high-quality train paths, more detailed planning and enhanced cooperation with industry players.
Steady combined transport growth
As for combined transport specifically, it has been growing steadily for 15 years, with volumes doubling between 2010 and 2025. It now accounts for more than 40% of French rail freight, expressed in tonne-kilometers. “In 2025, a new traffic flow was opened almost every month, with 10 new connections provided by eight different operators, enriching an already structured network of 60 existing connections. These services cover the entire territory.” These new ‘combi’ services made it possible to avoid 60,000 lorry journeys and save nearly 40,000 tonnes of CO₂.
SNCF Réseau said growth was fully in line with the ambitions of the Ulysse Fret programme, developed jointly with the French government and the rail freight body, Alliance 4F, which plans to invest 4 billion euros by 2032 to modernise and adapt rail freight infrastructure. More than half of this programme is dedicated to increasing the capacity of the rail network and terminals to accommodate new traffic. In 2026, the new flows will represent an increase of 2%-3% in traffic, expressed in train/kilometers.
‘Need for a leap in quality’
However, SNCF Réseau has also received criticism from a senior industry source on its service levels. Speaking at the recent annual conference of lobby group, Objectif-OFP, the head of DB Cargo France, Alexandre Gallo, said that while it was true there had been a significant improvement In train path allocations, the operational performance of the network for rail freight traffic in France was still not up to scratch based on his observations from day-to-day.
“I’m the first to support SNCF Réseau and for the work that its CEO Matthieu Chabanel and his team are doing. But the network is getting worse and worse from an operational point of view and this at a time when rail freight is showing its potential and demand is strong.” In an interview with RailFreight.com, Gallo highlighted “the need for a leap in quality to generate a sufficient shift from road to rail. Beyond the issues specific to railway companies, we are currently suffering from a failing infrastructure in France.”
He pointed to the difficulties in obtaining additional train paths on certain routes (particularly on the ‘Atlantic’ one); labour issues at SNCF Réseau, which led to strikes throughout 2025, particularly in northern Paris; operational management on the network that does not always meet required standards; and the systematic penalisation of freight trains in favour of passenger trains. “Remember, freight doesn’t vote”, he highlighted.
Gallo also drew attention to the impact of France’s ageing rail network which has led to traffic speeds on many sections being reduced. “As a result, when we (DB Cargo France) request a 120 km/h train path between Forbach, (in eastern France) and Bayonne, (on the French border with Spain) ,the actual speed is 64 km/h. This makes us far less competitive in terms of speed, our assets are under-utilised and we have to hire more drivers, which increases costs.
New investments after years of under-funding
Responding to Gallo’s criticism of the rail network’s operational performance, SNCF Réseau chief Chabanel told attendees at the Objectif-OFP conference: “I’m not going to pretend that everything is fine on the network. But there has been progress (in performance). If we look back a few years, we can see that there was a crisis situation with train paths which in no way can be compared with what we are experiencing today. We have gained more than 20 (percentage) points in the allocation of train paths to freight companies. There has also been progress in punctuality.”
He alluded to the “excellent” barometer of punctuality issued by French rail industry association, AFRA, which indicates that (only) 30% of freight trains are late because of SNCF Réseau. “This means that 70% are late for reasons other than us”. Chabanel added that the planned investments in the network after years of insufficient funding will start to pay off, enabling SNCF Réseau to offer its customers and its customers’ customers, the best possible service to attract more freight to rail.