A major study of the development of rail freight in the industrial and agricultural sectors in France has concluded that there is the potential for strong growth for both conventional and combined road-rail traffic over the next decade. The study was commissioned by the French shippers association AUTF and public transport industry body UTPF, whose members include SNCF, and carried out by management consultancy, Mensia.
The main findings are that there is potential for growth in conventional rail freight traffic, expressed in tonne-kilometres, of between 13 and 56 per cent by 2030. As to the demand for trains serving the combined road-to-rail transport segment, there is potential for this to double over the next decade or so with 100 round trips daily in 2035, “subject to compliance with infrastructure requirements.”
While an improved capacity utilisation rate and better traffic conditions are essential in achieving the ‘business as usual’ scenario, based on current flows, only a marked improvement in the system and the development of new traffic flows will enable the ‘ambitious’ scenario to be achieved, the study underlined. High expectations have been expressed in improvements to the rail network – particularly at freight yards and multimodal hubs – and in upgrading work for the P400 gauge to allow road trailers to be transported on trains, as well for rail operations to become more flexible, it added.
Disparity between verticals
The survey sounded out shippers specialised in six verticals – chemicals, construction materials, metal-working products, cereals, fruit and vegetables and automotive, as well as railway undertakings, the national combined transport association GNTC and France’s infrastructure manager, SNCF Réseau. The study highlighted major disparities between verticals, depending on the characteristics of their supply chain and the impact on each of them of a number of challenges, among them the environmental transition, the global economy and re-industrialisation.
Working group to be set up
A working group, bringing together representatives of rail operators, the rail network and the State, is to be set up to ensure that the conclusions of the study are acted upon over time. For its part, the AUTF underlined that “the fundamental issue remains the attractiveness – economic, environmental and operational – of the rail system.” Earlier this year, the association published a report on how its members viewed the service offerings in the rail freight sector. It concluded that while there had been an improvement in the general level of satisfaction, it was one that remained “very inadequate.”