The launch of Brittany Ferries’ rolling highway linking the Normandy port of Cherbourg and Bayonne-Mouguerre, in the French Basque Country has been hit by further delays. Dedicated to unaccompanied trailers, it was set to start at the end of this month, after having already been held up by administrative delays preventing the running of the first trains at the end of last year.
A delay in the co-ordination process between the different public works and construction groups involved in the project means the combined rail-road terminal at Cherbourg serving the rolling highway cannot be delivered in time to allow the launch to take place on 31 March 2025 as initially planned, a senior executive at Brittany Ferries told Railfreight.com.
“It’s difficult to be precise about when the launch will now take place. But in any case, we intend to test out the train path and the commercial offering with a convoy running probably in the second half of May. This will allow us to work with our partners and decide on a date for the official inauguration of the service before the summer break.”
In partnership with Modalohr
Connecting freight markets in France, the UK, Ireland and Spain, the Cherbourg-Bayonne rolling highway project was first announced in April 2022. It has entailed the construction of two combined rail-road terminals. Each train will be composed of 21 Modalohr wagons with double pockets, allowing 42 unaccompanied trailers to be transported.
However, in the first phase of operations, convoys will be limited to 18 wagons (36 trailers) as the full capacity of the Bayonne-Mouguerre terminal will not be attained until upgrade works are completed in 2026. The project has been financed by Brittany Ferries, the French state and the regions of Normandy and Nouvelle Aquitaine.
