With firefighters beginning to get the better of wildfires south-west France, rail traffic is due to resume this weekend on the line between Bordeaux and Bayonne which has been closed since July 26. DB Cargo France president and CEO, Alexandre Gallo, told RailFreight.com that one of its trains would be departing from the Paris-Valenton terminal in the early hours of 1 August to Spain via Bordeaux and Bayonne.
He said the closure of the line had led to the company having to cancel around 80 trains. Gallo declined to comment on the financial consequences of the disruption but did confirm that there was no case for compensation given that force majeur would be invoked over the wildfires episode. Rail Logistics Europe, the structure grouping SNCF’s rail freight interests and whose subsidiaries, Hexafret and Captrain France, are thought to operate on the affected line too, was also approached for comment.
French rail infrastructure manager SNCF Réseau has deployed significant resources to assess the state of the closed tracks south of Bordeaux, covering a distance of around 160 km. A ‘reconnaissance’ train is in service to identify any damage, along with a locomotive which undertaking cleaning work, with high-pressure hoses, to ensure that no deposits of ash are present on the tracks. If repairs are required, SNCF Réseau is ready to immobilise up to 100 staff.