Shipping giant CMA CGM is leading a consortium which plans to invest approximately 40 million euros in developing container traffic at the Lyon river port, in south-east France. The company will also soon take over operations at two terminals at the port of Lyon, where it wants to boost the modal shift.
While Lyon Port is State-owned, it is operated under concession by hydroelectricity generation utility, the Compagnie Nationale du Rhône (CNR). One of the CNR’s subsidiaries, Lyon Terminal, currently holds the sub-concession for the two 10-hectare terminals, each equipped with a riverside quay and several railway tracks, but this is due to expire soon.
CMA CGM has a 67 per cent stake in the consortium which also includes a State bank and two public sector-run Chambers of Commerce. It will take over operation of Lyon Port’s terminals in spring 2025 within the framework of a 30-year sub-concession. Along with its partners, CMA CGM said its aim is to encourage modal shift in a multi-user project open to all maritime companies, river and rail operators via the Mediterranean-Rhône-Saône axis.
CMA CGM’s vice-president, Terminals, Emmanuel Delachambre, commented: “This project reflects our ambition, alongside our partners, to modernise and strengthen the strategic role of Lyon Edouard Herriot Port through sustainable logistics solutions and by developing modal shift, primarily from the Port of Marseille-Fos, to benefit regional, national, and international economic stakeholders.”
100,000 containers on the railways by 2030
Last year saw 101,000 containers handled at Lyon Port, with an almost 50-50 mix of river and rail transport – 53,000 TEU versus 48,000 respectively. Lyon Port’s rail traffic is mainly made up of containers, tanks and craneable trailers, followed by metal-working and agricultural products. The consortium is looking to raise box traffic to 100,000 river-borne containers and 80,000 rail-transported containers within six years.
Investment will encompass terminal expansion works, the modernisation of existing infrastructure and the creation of new railway tracks, as well as the electrification of handling equipment, IT and operational upgrades. By 2028, the terminal will have the capacity to handle 230,000 TEU. The move is in line with French President Emmanuel Macron’s promise two years ago to create a ‘Greater Marseille-Lyon Port’, facilitating access to European markets.
The first phase of the investment programme will focus on consolidating all container handling activities at Lyon Port’s Terminal 2 by the end of 2027, with a 2.9 hectare extension served by two new rail lines. On the Marseille-Lyon freight corridor, 80 per cent of goods are currently transported by road, 15 per cent by rail and 5 per cent by river.