Massive Investment of 156 Million Euros in Sorter Stations at Cherbourg's Railway Station
In a significant stride towards more sustainable logistics, Brittany Ferries has launched a railway-highway connecting the Basque Country and Cherbourg, offering a greener and more efficient freight transport corridor between Spain, France, and Ireland. The service, which began on May 16, has already proven to be a game-changer in reducing carbon emissions and promoting intermodal transport.
The new Brittany Ferries service enables Irish logistics operators to send trailer-only freight by sea from Rosslare Europort to Cherbourg. Here, trailers are transferred directly onto the rail network, streamlining freight movement and reducing road congestion. This intermodal transport approach offers a more sustainable option by reducing the reliance on long-haul road haulage, particularly diesel trucks.
By combining maritime and rail transport, this initiative promotes flexible and efficient freight logistics between Ireland, Northern Spain (Basque Country), and France (Cherbourg), connecting key European markets with reduced handling times. The railway-highway, spanning a 970 km long route, represents a decarbonization pathway for logistics, leveraging lower-emission modes rather than traditional trucking across long distances.
Rail freight is significantly less carbon intensive than road freight. Integrating Brittany Ferries’ maritime route with rail transport has the potential to lower greenhouse gas emissions considerably by shifting freight off the road. This service supports broader EU climate goals by reducing carbon footprints associated with cross-border freight transport. Brittany Ferries estimates that it could remove 25,000 trucks from French roads each year by 2030.
Investments are being made to further enhance the railway-highway's efficiency. SNCF Réseau, the French state-owned company responsible for rail infrastructure, will invest 156 million euros in the four largest French marshalling yards by 2027. This investment aims to improve the handling of trains and trailers, ensuring a smoother and more efficient service.
The freight rail service has also generated a mix of poetry and nostalgia. Philippe Tabarot, the Minister of Transport, disembarked from a freight train at Cherbourg port on July 17, underscoring the significance of this initiative. Freight rail allows for harmonious management of goods flows, offering a greener and more efficient alternative to traditional road haulage. The trains set sail by boat to the United Kingdom and Ireland from the Cotentin, making a round trip each week to the Cotentin.
As the world continues to grapple with climate change, initiatives like Brittany Ferries' railway-highway provide a powerful tool for decarbonizing the transport sector. By linking the Basque Country and Cherbourg via sea and rail, this service offers both efficiency gains and carbon emissions reductions in freight transport, making it a shining example of sustainable logistics in action.
- This innovative railway-highway connection initiated by Brittany Ferries, linking the Basque Country and Cherbourg, promotes environmental-science by reducing the carbon emissions in the transportation sector, thereby contributing to efforts against climate-change.
- The integration of Brittany Ferries' maritime route with the rail network not only enhances finance efficiency in the logistics industry but also significantly lowers the carbon footprint in comparison to diesel trucks, aligning with the broader EU climate goals.
- As the service further expands its capacity with investments in rail infrastructure, it promises a substantial reduction in the number of diesel trucks on French roads and a promising future for the intermodal transportation industry, thereby facilitating a greener and safer environment.
