The port of Calais is betting on rail motorways and unaccompanied people
Forward all on the unaccompanied and modal alternatives! In 2021, the port of Calais is entering a new era. Bride until then in its development, thethe port has doubled its volume and is now able to accommodate larger capacity ferries (over 220 meters long) while offering three new boarding stations.
The delivery of goods, if it does not abandon the road, is heading towards new perspectives, with the significant increase in the management capacities of unaccompanied trailers.
An intermodal hub of 13 hectares
The 13 hectare intermodal hub can accommodate 600 trailers at the same time ! “And we have planned the place to continue to develop “, assures Jean-Marc Puissesseau, CEO of the ports of Boulogne-Calais. As a result, the only European port to be equipped with a rail motorway terminal intends to be a driver of the rise in the transport of goods from rail.
Currently connected in the South to Boulou, Orbassano, Mâcon, and soon to Sète, it now looks east. The opening of a line with Poland is expected at the end of the year-beginning of 2022. “A delay due to the Covid, but it’s on track “, comments Jean-Marc Puissesseau. Germany is also mentioned. As for the lines to the south, they will eventually be reinforced, such as that of Mâcon, which should change from one to two daily trains in 2022.
250 000 trailers per year
The unaccompanied, whether from the road or the rail, makes the eyes of the CEO shine. “We already have good feedback on the Calais-Sheerness line, opened by DFDS in July and intended for unaccompanied people. The offer will multiply, I am convinced, explains the leader. The unaccompanied is cheaper, carriers are not dependent on bad weather, we save CO2. “
On unaccompanied freight traffic, the desired port of Calais reach 100 000 transshipped trailers from land or rail to sea by 2025. With a target of 250 000 trailers per year.
Read the full article (restricted access) in The Carriers Official n ° 3083 from the 1st October 2021.