France’s Brittany region plans to increase its rail freight traffic six-fold by 2050, reaching nine million tonnes of goods transported.
To achieve this, the regional public authority, the French State and rail network manager SNCF Réseau are implementing a multi-year investment programme until 2027, totalling 64 million euros. It compares to a previous rail freight investment programme of 4 million euros between 2015 and 2022.
“The leap (in funding) demonstrates Brittany’s determination to prepare for the upturn and achieve the objectives of the environmental transition,” underlined Philippe Gustin, state prefect of the Brittany Region.
Low rail share provides growth potential
A study by the Region in 2023 surveyed companies in Brittany and players in the local rail freight sector, highlighting the potential for traffic growth.
“From this year onwards, the Brittany Region, the State, and SNCF Réseau will be undertaking work to renovate and upgrade existing infrastructure,” explained Loïc Hénaff, regional councillor whose remit focuses on the development of freight and logistics.
Brittany is starting from a fairly low base as goods transport by rail accounts for (only) 1.4 per cent of all modes of transport used in the region, compared with 9 per cent nationally.
“Historically, Brittany has had a high-quality network of toll-free roads which competes strongly with the railways,” noted Hénaff. Existing rail freight traffic in the region focuses on transporting cereals for livestock farming between the Centre Val de Loire, in centre-west France, and Brittany. This ‘pendulum’ traffic represents 8 per cent of the total tonnage of goods transported by rail in Brittany annually (1.2 million tonnes).
Investment targets
The investment programme includes a 40 million euro upgrade of 77 kilometres of track between Auray, Saint Gérant, and Vitré-Gérard. Agricultural co-operative Le Gouessant receives 100,000 tonnes of cereals annually via this railway line.
15 million euros will be allocated to the continued development of the Rennes combined transport hub initiated by Lahaye Global Logistics, with the opening of a Rennes-Lille line, while 6 million euros is earmarked for the reconnection of the seaports of Brest and Lorient to the railway network to recreate an ocean and rail offering.
To ensure the success of the rail freight plan, its backers will promote the pooling of goods and the consolidation of different types of loads among shippers. “The companies are ready. It’s up to us to create and propose the right conditions to increase rail freight in Brittany,” concluded Hénaff, who also heads Brittany food processing firm Jean Hénaff.
A longer-term strategic plan centres on linking regional rail infrastructure to the national and European networks. According to SNCF Réseau, 15 freight trains operate daily in Brittany, equivalent to 750 trucks.
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