Climate change is expected to have a negative impact on navigation on the Rhine in the coming years, and various solutions are being explored to address the issue, including multimodality.
Last month, France’s public agency for river and inland waterway transport (VNF) and the Ports of Strasbourg (PAS), which also comprises three satellite terminals in eastern France, launched an initiative with the nearby ports of Colmar and Mulhouse and shippers in the region to develop a low-carbon logistics offering for businesses. This offering would allow for increased rail use when freight transport by barge is penalised by low-water periods such as those in 2018 and 2022.
Capacity boost is essential
An estimated 15% of goods in France’s Alsace region transit via the river. “We want to work on a more complete multi-modal logistics chain and link two low-carbon modes of transport,” underlined Yann Quiquandon, VNF’s Strasbourg director, in an interview with French media.
A barge on the Rhine can carry up to 500 containers compared to 100 for a freight train, so dedicated provision to accommodate growth in the latter mode is a must.
PAS, France’s second biggest inland port after Paris, last year unveiled a 70 million-euro project to create a new rail freight terminal to double train-borne traffic over the next decade from one to two million tonnes. “We are going to develop a rail hub that will be able to accommodate longer trains and absorb the expected growth in freight in general and rail freight in particular,” a spokesperson for the PAS commented. Rail development projects are also underway at the ports of Colmar and Mulhouse.
A matter of preserving customers
The Rhine Navigation Commission (CCNR), based in Strasbourg, has been working for several years on the low-water issue and its impact. It has identified the complementarity between river and rail transport as a potential solution.
“This will enhance the reliability of the logistics chain, which is essential for container transport. It is in this segment that inland navigation loses the most traffic after a low-water episode. Some shippers switch to the road and don’t come back to the river,” a spokesperson explained.
The operating authority reported that last year, in an uncertain economic climate, PAS’ barge activity remained steady while rail performed well. The two modes combined handled 7.2 million tonnes of freight, with rail accounting for just over 1 million tonnes, an increase of 6% compared with 2023.