France has published a “national master plan” for combined transport. Drawn up by the State Directorate-General for Infrastructure, Transport and Mobility (DGITM), in close collaboration with all the players in the sector, it estimates that France’s 46 combi terminals are no longer sufficient to meet growing demand.

“These capacities have now reached their limits. In fact, in the absence of major investment over the last 10 to 15 years, many multimodal terminals appear to be saturated or ageing, making it impossible to develop combined transport traffic,” the French Ministry of Transport noted. It is now necessary to improve the level of performance of this infrastructure by creating new terminals and extending or modernising existing ones at an estimated cost of 1.1 billion euros, it added.

More than 20 combined transport terminals are necessary

Research undertaken as part of the master plan shows that by 2032, combined transport terminals in France will require the capacity to accommodate 3.4 million handling operations per year (+0.5 million compared with today. This means that there is a need for more than 20 new terminals, in addition to the extensions already planned. Regional studies will make it possible to identify potential sites for new terminals.

Transport minister François Durovray said that France now has a precise framework that sets a target date of 2032 for combined transport, enabling it to meet the projected strong demand for low-carbon transport solutions. “I am delighted that this work, carried out in partnership with the entire industry, has been completed and that everyone is working together to implement this national master plan.”

Building new terminals and upgrading existing ones

The plan makes provision for the creation of 22 terminals – including four which are already financed, among them the Terminal Ouest Provence, near Marseille, which was commissioned earlier this year – and the re-opening of five others (located in Morlaix, Le Mans, Château-Gontier, Cognac and Niort) – with the required investment estimated at 430 million euros. A typical, new terminal is specified as being able to handle up to four trains a day, giving it a capacity of around 45,000 handling operations annually. The combined transport plan also makes provision to carry out extension and modernisation work on 27 existing terminals at a projected cost of 670 million euros.