New transport hub for Marseille

A port spokesperson said to Port Strategy: “Multimodal connectivity continues to be a major feature of the port’s long-term development plan. This initiative marks a new level of service for rail links between France, other European destinations and the Marseilles harbour area – a highly attractive advantage for the mainly intra-Mediterranean trades served by this area of the port.”

The new €60m transport hub will provide a single rail-road interface that serves Med Europe container trades and also traffic displaced from a smaller combined transport terminal that is being redeveloped under the Euromediterranee urban renovation scheme.

It will be able to handle 150,000 boxes and swap bodies per year, doubling capacity for rail-borne traffic in the Marseilles port zone, helping to reduce the current 85% balance of containers transported by road.

Investment will include the lengthening of rail lines, road improvements, construction of a container depot and the purchase of railhead gantries.

Negotiation on co-financing and operation of the new hub are under way and are due for completion at the end of 2012.