Stellantis’ commitment to rail

This initiative at the port of Boulogne Calais is part of a larger Stellantis project to increase rail transport. For example, two years ago the company re-implemented a rail connection to its factory in Hordain, 160 kilometres from Calais, after a 13-year hiatus. However, the port did not provide specific information about whether the trains will be coming from there or other plants connected to the railways such as Poissy, near Paris.

Almost 45% of total rail freight

“Once again, as has been observed on several occasions over the last 30 years, combined rail-road transport appears to ‘over-react’ compared to conventional freight, declining more sharply during periods of crisis and recovering more quickly during periods of growth,” the GNTC observed. Combined rail-road transport accounts for almost 45% of total rail freight in France, a proportion that is growing slowly year on year and continues to attract businesses seeking sustainable solutions.

River-road transport declines

Growth in the rail-road segment contrasts with a decline in river-road transport of -8.6% in terms of teus transported. This is mainly attributed to an unfavourable economic and geopolitical climate, increased competition from road transport, and structural constraints specific to river transport.

2026 outlook

Industry players are cautiously optimistic about 2026. The GNTC business climate index reveals that 77% are planning investments but only 50% are intend to recruit staff Whilst demand remains strong, several challenges persist: the quality of rail services, the availability of infrastructure, competitiveness against road transport, and economic and geopolitical uncertainties. 2026 is set to see the launch of new combi services, the opening of new terminals, including the one in Dunkirk and work aimed at improving the performance of existing ones.

CMA CGM in the frame ?

The Marseilles-based group’s ongoing strategy is to develop a multi-modal freight transport offering includes rail. Earlier this year, it completed the acquisition of UK rail freight operator Freightliner to boost its intermodal services, taking over 2,000 wagons, 10 terminals and one of the largest fleets of electric locomotives in the UK.

In May last year, CMA CGM increased its weekly rail services between Marseille and Lyon, in southeast France, to five departures in each direction The increased frequency is expected to boost international trade to and from Lyon, where the group is investing significantly. CMA CGM was approached for comment.

Another potential candidate for a stake in RLE is one of CMA CGM’s main rivals, Switzerland-based MSC via its subsidiaries Medlog and Medway. Among the most recent developments are a wagon manufacturing plant in Trieste, the launch of a Portugal-Spain rail highway service for semi-trailers and the expansion in French and Austrian markets. Last week, Medway took delivery of a batch of four locomotives in a ceremony held at a railway station in Lyon.

SNCF set on keeping majority control

Wholly-owned by SNCF, RLE comprises six branches, Captrain and Hexafret (rail freight transport), Naviland Cargo (maritime containers), VIIA (rolling highways), Technis (rolling stock maintenance) and Forwardis (freight forwarding), appear at first glance to be less relevant.

SNCF and the French State are thought to favour a block sale arrangement of the RLE stake which would not allow bidders to exclude those branches that they had little or no interest in. In the case of CMA CGM, this could prove an obstacle as Forwardis and Technis would not appear to be of strategic value to the group.

Moreover, while SNCF’s intention to retain at least 51% of RLE’s capital – thereby offering the trade unions a guarantee that the public utility will continue to have majority control when it comes to decision-making – may suit an investment fund, it is far less appealing to an industry player whose aim is to have a free hand to rapidly implement operational synergies, the report noted. In any case, the strong trade union culture within the SNCF group would be a key factor to consider for any potential investor in RLE, French or foreign.

With the acquisition of this rolling stock (at 4 million euros per unit), Medway is releasing itself from leasing to other companies. In France, the freight operator also uses traction from Hexafret, rail operator that kept rolling stock from former Fret SNCF, restructured into other companies following the outcome of an investigation from the European Commission.

EU support

Next to each locomotive cabin, a sticker shows that the acquisition of the locomotives benefited from the support of the EU funds. Medway invested €41.1 million, around a third of it supported by Spain’s Recovery and Resilience Plan, the sticker details. This means that the new Euro6000 will also operate in Spain, mainly on standard gauge rail tracks.

Nevertheless, there is a chance that these locomotives will be allowed to go further in Spain and explore the larger Iberian gauge tracks. “Eventually, we have the possibility of changing the bogies”, reveals Carlos Vasconcelos. Such a possibility, however, would increase operational costs (and consume more time). Since last July, the MSC group has started to produce wagons and bogies for standard and Iberian gauge in Trieste in partnership with Innofreight.

Filling the gap

The ceremony was also an opportunity for MSC to reflect on the role of Medway in the Swiss-owned group. “I have brought to fruition a strategic journey that the group embarked upon 10 years ago with Portugal, with the aim of achieving rail coverage across the whole of Europe, from Portugal to Germany, from Belgium to Italy.

However, there was a significant gap in this strategy, and that was France. Therefore, we are truly proud to have filled that gap and to now have Medway France operating in Europe in a leading role”, highlighted Medlog’s Rail Manager, Andrea Castino, during his speech.

Carlos Vasconcelos reminded that Medway began its operations after winning the privatisation of the former freight business from CP – Comboios de Portugal. “We committed to transform a national operator into a true European rail operator. Ten years on, I can tell you that we are delivering on that commitment today”, he emphasised.

Smashing bottles

Since the beginning, Medway has followed the tradition of designating each of its locomotives with the names of the workers’ daughters and granddaughters. Estelle, Thaïs, Maud and Valentine became the “sponsors” of the new machines. All of them attended the ceremony (including baby Thaïs) after receiving a personal invitation from the rolling stock operator.

To conclude the naming ceremony, each of the girls had to smash a champagne glass into the locomotive, in sign of good luck, following the cruise ship’s tradition. However, the first attempts were not successful, since the glass was hitting the cabin access steps instead of the pneumatic buffer. Then, each girl pressed the horn to the audience.

After the event, the new locomotives left Lyon-Perrache, as they were ready to operate. From this week, they are moving goods from the Port of Le Havre to several locations in France. The steel industry and containers from the MSC group will be the focus of the Medway’s operation in France.

“We will anchor our operation in the ports of Dunkirk, Bordeaux and Marseille”, Medway’s chairman said last February to RailFreight. “Our mission is to replace trucks with trains, also supporting short-sea and deep-sea activities”, he added at that time.

‘Meeting market’s growing needs’

Open Modal’s director of Development, Jeanne Brunier, said the launch of the new service was part of the group’s strategy to consolidate its rail network between France’s major logistics hubs. “We are strengthening our combined rail-road transport offering to meet the market’s growing needs in terms of capacity, decarbonisation and energy efficiency. We are supporting market momentum by offering solutions that are ever more reliable, efficient and tailored to today’s logistics challenges.”

Three locomotives

Open Modal’s multimodal director, Anthony Cherubini, said the group was running 750-metre trains with a capacity of 48 ITUs (intermodal transport units), equivalent to 45-foot containers. “To ensure the highest possible level of service, we have a dedicated locomotive and a back-up locomotive for the phase with three weekly services. Ultimately, three locomotives will be assigned to this service to ensure greater reliability,” he explained.

The group has several subsidiary companies: TAB Rail Road (road haulage), T3M (combined transport operator), BTM (multimodal terminal operator) and rail company Combirail. Open Modal, which employs 380 staff, generated a turnover of 144 million euros last year.

“The Ministry of Transport expresses its deep satisfaction with this long-awaited measure, which strengthens the Alpine rail highway between Italy and France with a market-based instrument and replaces the previous model based on the monopoly of a single concessionaire, which has been at a standstill for over a year”, the Italian side commented.

The service could restart in September, according to the managing director of the Orbassano interport (SITO), Enzo Pompilio D’Alicandro. It would aim to load up to 100 trucks per direction per day. “Operators are looking with interest at this service, which makes it possible to increase the load by 15% in intermodal mode”, D’Alicandro is quoted as saying in Italian media.

‘Unprecedented’ removal and repair operation

The service had been operating five weekly round-trips when a train composed of 17 Modalohr-type wagons  derailed on a section of the Cherbourg-Caen rail line just 50 kilometers into its journey of almost 1,000 kilometres. Cleanup operations were described at the time by SNCF Réseau as an operation “of unprecedented scale in France” and one which mobilised a team of 100 engineers and technicians.

Major repairs of the track and rail infrastructure followed. In total, putting the line back in working order was estimated to have cost 10 million euros. Brittany Ferries introduced a backup solution during the two month hiatus in the combi service. It consisted of operating a freight-only ferry service between Poole, in south-west England and Bilbao.

Increase in frequencies

The derailment was an untimely blow to a service inaugurated as recently as July 2025. It raised fears that the company risked losing its ‘combi’ customer base and that other road hauliers would be deterred from considering a modal shift from truck to train. However, the service has resumed with six departures weekly from Cherbourg and seven from Bayonne/Mouguerre – an increase in the number of frequencies operated pre-derailment.

The expansion will be implemented in early April. It will help to grow the capacity of the company’s French connection between the English Channel and the Mediterranean Sea. CargoBeamer will start offering daily departures in both directions.

With a transit time of 26 hours, the Calais-Perpignan route is open for all semi-trailers, including non-craneable ones. In the northbound direction, the connection provides access to North Sea ports. In the opposite direction, freight can reach southern France and northern Spain.

Also in Germany

At the same time, Captrain has announced the introduction of a new service in Germany in cooperation with LIT Speditions. As part of their SmartRail Logistics joint venture, daily train service has been introduced between the Roland Terminal in Bremen and the Port of Stuttgart. This new connection enhances the existing intermodal network, specifically targeting industrial and commercial enterprises along the key north-south corridor.

Rail transport, handled by Captrain, includes connections to the abovementioned main terminals as well as Bremen-Sebaldsbrück and Sindelfingen. LIT coordinates the pre- and post-carriage by truck.

“With the new connection, we can reliably, quickly, and flexibly cover diverse logistics needs on this important corridor”, commented Jérôme Méline, Managing Director of Captrain Germany and SmartRail Logistics. “Whether large or small shipments, conventional or intermodal freight, with or without rail sidings: Together with SmartRail, we enable suitable logistics solutions for a wide range of companies, products, and logistics requirements.”

‘Many contracts won or renewed’

RLE’s revenue was down 1,6% to 1,8 billion euros, the decline being mainly attributable to the commercial discontinuity of Fret SNCF (now Hexafret) imposed by European Commission competition requirements. Nevertheless, the EBITDA margin rose to 14.4% versus 11.4% a year earlier. Reviewing the 2025 financial year, the SNCF Group said that RLE had delivered satisfactory results despite difficulties in Europe’s rail freight sector. An unfavourable economic environment and supply-side constraints placed significant pressure on many market participants.

Commercial momentum remained strong, with many contracts won or renewed, including the renewal of steelmaker ArcelorMittal’a freight business in France. Intermodal activities – Forwardis, Naviland Cargo and VIIA’s rolling highway operations – continued to grow as new volumes were gained. New subsidiaries Hexafret and Technis, borne out of the discontinuity of Fret SNCF and, both established at the beginning of 2025, improved service quality in a stabilised social and operational environment and increased their profitability, the SNCF Group noted.

As for Geodis, which has significant rail freight interests, with approximately 120 trains in circulation every week operating across France and Europe, 2025 revenue came to 10,6 billion euros down 3.9% from 2024 on a scope, current and methodology basis. However, it managed to preserve its profitability, holding its EBITDA -to-revenue ratio at the same level as in 2024 (10.7%).

Sustainable supply chain

“Geodis’ ambition is to support the transformation of Naos’ logistics master plan, both in Europe and around the globe. Together, we are developing innovative and responsible solutions, especially for new distribution projects, to build a supply chain that is ever more efficient and environmentally friendly,” Marc Vollet, managing director of Geodis’ European Road Network commented.

Geodis uses secured containers for the full duration of the ‘combi’ service and assigns dedicated drivers for both pickup and delivery operations. This approach ensures a high level of confidentiality and operational control, suited to the demands of the cosmetics sector, it noted.

The deployment of what Geodis describes as “innovative, low-carbon land transport solutions”, is only one of a number of logistics-related services which Geodis currently provides to Naos. They includes centralised maritime transport for its group brands (Bioderma, Institut Esthederm, Etat Pur); international warehouse management; and expertise in customs issues.

Domestic and international train network

As well as being a major provider of road haulage, Geodis has approximately 120 trains in circulation every week operating across France and Europe. Domestic routes include Lille/Dourges-Avignon and Metz-Hendaye, each with five round trips weekly. Geodis also has a service dedicated to liquid bulk chemicals traffic operating several times weekly between Lavera, near Marseille to Puyoo, in south-west France, where Geodis has a ‘combi’ rail-road terminal.

On international routes, Geodis has a number of trains running between Łódź, in Poland and Baltic Sea ports, transporting maritime traffic for import and export; a daily service between Noisy-le-Sec, in the Paris region and Novara, in Italy; as well as a number round trips weekly between Łódź and Piacenza, also in Italy.