French shipping giant CMA CGM and Italian rail freight operator GTS Rail are establishing a new joint venture (JV) called European Container Network to take their collaboration to an international level. The two companies are already cooperating in Italy, especially from the port of Genoa.
With this new initiative, GTS Rail aims to expand its network to European ports, especially along the Rhine-Alpine axis, a spokesperson from the company told RailFreight.com. “The JV is still in its early stages, but the project is to develop a European network”, they said.
In order to do this, GTS Rail is working on obtaining certifications to operate in various countries on the Old Continent. It already has one for Switzerland and hopes to get more before the year’s end. Once this happens, the company will no longer have to rely on external partners to provide rail traction outside of the Italian borders. Since GTS Rail is quite active in the port of Genoa, the spokesperson underlined the importance of the Terzo Valico, the new railway connecting the port to the TEN-T Rhine Alpine Corridor which should be ready somewhere around 2025.
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