FM Logistic is one of France’s biggest independent logistics services providers and recently launched its first-ever European combined rail-road transport service between northern France and Poland. In the second part of an interview with RailFreight.com, its director of European Multimodal Development, Sylvain Philippe, outlines the company’s plans for significant growth in multimodal logistics solutions over the next five years.
He also highlights the possibility of FM Logistic playing a part in the development of France’s network of combined rail-road terminals and investing in a fleet of P400 semi trailers. The new northern France-Poland rail-road service followed the launch in September 2024 of French domestic ‘combi’ routes running between the north and south of the country. FM Logistic is now eyeing new routes domestically and in Europe, the latter extending to centre and south-east of the continent.
“At present, the share of our transport flows carried out via multimodal solutions is between 2 and 4%. It is important to note that this percentage varies depending on the geographical area and the benchmark used (number of journeys or tonne-kilometres). We have set ourselves the target of increasing this to 15-18% by 2030 while keeping in mind that the final choice (of mode) always rests with the customer,” Philippe said. He underlined that these targets are not focused solely on combined transport as FM Logistic is pursuing a comprehensive decarbonisation strategy which includes pooling (consolidation of loads) and greening the truck fleet through the use of biofuels and electrical power.
Asia-Europe corridor
While rail remains FM Logistic’s priority, river transport could be a potential complementary solution in the future where the geography of freight flows allows it. Nor is expansion limited to Europe. “We are keen to develop the Asia-Europe rail corridor which has emerged as a viable alternative to air or sea transport and provides scope for decarbonising freight flows.”
FM Logistic is also taking an active interest in France’s national ‘master plan’ for combined transport which recommends the construction of more than 20 new facilities by 2032 and the extension and modernisation of several existing ones at an estimated cost of 1.1 billion euros. It also makes provision for private sector investment. “FM Logistic is open to partnerships for the construction and operation of new terminals where this makes sense for its logistics activities and customer services, drawing on the company’s expertise in warehouse construction and knowledge of freight flows.”
Investment in dedicated trailers
FM Logistic began its intermodal activity with 45′ high cube palletwide C45 box containers, offering a capacity per unit similar to standard road semi-trailers. It currently does not have models specifically designed for combined transport, such as P400 trailers.
“We carry out intermodal flows with standard trailers using a ‘basket’ solution that allows them to be lifted and placed in pocket wagons. This means that virtually all of our 1,000 trailers could be transported by rail tomorrow if required,” Philippe explained.
In the future, the company plans to include the ‘P400 option in the specifications for its future purchases of new semi-trailers. It will also continue to invest in box and curtain-sided containers, and are even looking into temperature-controlled units.
