29.09.2022, 10:00

CargoBeamer operates test train between Marseille and Calais

First intermodal train for semi-trailers from Port of Marseille Fos

CargoBeamer wrote history by successfully running the first ever train with trailers between Marseille and Calais. The train serves as the first successful railway line for unaccompanied transport of craneable and non-craneable semi-trailers on rail, a field CargoBeamer is specialized in. Travelling from the Port of Marseille Fos to the CargoBeamer-Terminal in Calais, the service enabled 28 units to be transported on sustainable rail instead of the road.

Like all CargoBeamer lanes, the train consisted of both CargoBeamer-railcars and twin pocket wagons. Traction was provided by DB Cargo France. In Marseille, the train was handled inside the Marseille Manutention Ro-Ro Terminal, owned by CMA Terminals, a 100% branch of CMA-CGM Group. By transporting semi-trailers from Marseille to Calais on rail instead of the road, each loading unit reduced its CO2-footprint by around 90%. For the whole train, this means reducing carbon emissions by around 30.8 tons of carbon emissions compared to road transport.

Intercontinental connections via Marseille

The Port of Marseille Fos serves as the leading port in France and one of the largest ports in Europe. In 2021, it recorded an annual volume of 1.5 M TEU. With 90 direct shipping lines, Marseille connects southern France to locations in Northern Africa and the Mediterranean, while also offering routes around the globe.

Tim Krasowka, Managing Director of CargoBeamer intermodal operations, says: "I am pleased to see the successful completion of our first test train between Marseille and Calais. In the Port of Marseille Fos, we have connected a highly interesting location in international supply chains to unaccompanied transport of semi-trailers on rail for the first time. Considering the fast growth of both the ports’ volumes and intermodal business in France, we are looking forward to exploring options of opening another CargoBeamer lane in this area.”

Hervé Martel, President of the Port of Marseille Fos, says :"The port of Marseille Fos has decided to fully support the destination growth in order to enhance its dynamism and development, as well as its attractivity by offering with its partners many economically interesting and environmentally friendly logistics solutions. This kind of new project initiated by CargoBeamer helps the port to position itself as one of the main RoRo hubs in the Mediterrean Sea area.  This road to rail solution is contributing to reduce efficiently the the CO2 emissions, which is, indeed, a strong axis of the port strategy. We really hope this train wil bring many others ! »

Picture: CargoBeamer / Terminal Roulier Sud

About CargoBeamer

The CargoBeamer Group is an innovative logistics service provider in the combined transport between road and rail. As a pioneer in decarbonizing freight transport in Europe on a large scale, its mission is to improve the environment with disruptive and cost-effective solutions to shift freight transport from road to rail. The CargoBeamer system, consisting of patented wagons, transshipment terminals, and logistics software, enables especially non-craneable semi-trailers to be transported by rail, resulting in significantly reducing CO₂ emissions and other external costs. Since early 2022, both company and service are certified as carbon neutral. Presently trains are operated in Germany, France, Italy, and the United Kingdom. The company is working on realizing a European network of efficient CargoBeamer terminals, connected in fixed timetables with trains consisting of up to 36 CargoBeamer wagons. It means carbon-neutral rail transport for hundreds of thousands of semi-trailers per year and significant relief for the environment and society.

About Port of Marseille Fos

A major player in international trade, located on two European transport corridors, the port of Marseille Fos is positioned as the gateway to southern Europe. The synergy of its two basins consolidates Marseille as a local port in the Mediterranean for goods and passengers, while Fos is characterized by its dynamic as a world port for industry and logistics dedicated to major intercontinental flows. Today a global hub for data in an ever smarter territorial approach, European leader in dockside electrical connections and LNG ship refueling, the port of Marseille Fos is betting on sustainable economic growth through responsible industrial development and innovative promoting the circular economy. The dynamics of port projects in the two basins reinforces today more than ever the structuring role of the port of Marseille Fos within its metropolitan area and its influence on the chessboard of world ports.