MEDWAY Transports and Logistics France has started its first commercial rail service between the quarries in Caffiers and the ArcelorMittal steelworks in Dunkirk.
The service connects production sites operated by Carrières du Boulonnais (Groupe CB) and Lhoist with the steel plant in Dunkirk. Although the distance between origin and destination is relatively short, the operation involves demanding technical and operational conditions.
Trains are formed with up to 40 wagons, reaching a gross weight of approximately 3,600 tonnes. The inaugural service consisted of 38 loaded wagons. Traction is provided by BB 75000 locomotives operating in multiple, particularly on the section between the quarries and Caffiers station, where gradients and loading conditions require careful handling.
The operation further involves complex shunting activities. Each rotation includes more than a dozen manoeuvres and direction changes. Wagons from the two quarry sites are consolidated at Caffiers station, requiring cutting and pushing movements on main tracks before departure towards Dunkirk.
MEDWAY France is managing the service through its operational teams based in Lyon and on site, with the trains now integrated into daily traffic between Caffiers and Dunkirk.
