Ambitious plans for a ‘rail motorway’, logistics park and port extension are set to add a whole new dimension to the Port of Calais.
A new ‘rail motorway’ connecting Calais with the Le Boulou terminal in Perpignan, 1,400 kms south, is expected to be up and running from September next year; it is aimed at encouraging modal shift of freight transport between the UK, the Nord-Pas de Calais region and the north-east of Spain.
The service will be operated by Viia, which has placed an order for 105 railcars specially designed to carry semi-trailers. The Cote d’Opale Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the concession holder for the Port of Calais, is responsible for constructing the railway facilities required for the terminal.
“We are planning for two departures per day, 40 trailers per service,” says Franck-Edouard Tiberghien, manager at the Port of Calais. “This is very important for us because it introduces modal shift. The distance covered makes that viable.”
The service is forecast to carry 37,000 semi-trailers a year initially, and the aim is to build that to more than 55,000 trailers. This ties in with the Calais Port 2015 project, which is designed to double port capacity.
Meanwhile, Calais is progressing plans for a new rail-connected logistics park on a site next to the A16; this would be within five minutes’ drive of the port, and linked to major roads heading east, west and south. The plan is to build two 50,000 sq m warehouse buildings, with rail track between them. “This should make it easier for us to diversify as a port, with cross-docking and storage available,” says Mr Tiberghien. “We will also be looking to implement a second rail motorway, between Calais and Germany.
