Alsace-based road haulier and 3PL, Portmann Transports, which is owned by Switzerland’s state post office, will ship 26 multi-modal containers using DB Cargo France’s Paris-Nancy-Metz-Nancy-Paris shuttle service which will begin early-January 2025. The company has invested 4 to 5 million euros in acquiring the necessary equipment ahead of the launch.
“In January 2025, we will be taking a major step forward with the development of a new short-line service between Paris and Metz which, on paper, is a distance of 330 to 340 kilometres, and not really suited to combined road-rail transport, modal shift being really only viable beyond a minimum distance of 500 km”, CEO Jean-Michel Bauer said in a French media interview.
The service will carry goods five days a week on behalf of one of Portmann’s long-standing customers, a major retailer who is committed to greener transport, he explained. “We had more than a year of discussions – entailing both feasibility and technical studies – with DB Cargo who accepted the challenge of developing a multimodal service over a relatively short distance as long as we also committed to significant volumes of freight. As this is a week-daily return trip, the shuttle will cover 660 to 680 km per day.”
Carbon tax might help modal shift
Asked what he would say to shippers considering a modal shift into ‘combi’ transport, Bauer highlighted the need for social and environmental responsibility in the face of climate change while accepting that making such a move during the current difficult economic period was complicated, costly and risky.
“However, that’s not the only motivation. Some time soon, there will be a carbon tax: the CO2 emissions already appear on every (transport) bill and it’s time to choose a solution that decarbonises. From this point of view, modal shift must be seen as strategic and as a factor in potential future savings,” he added.
