SNCF Réseau has unveiled a project for a new intermodal hub at Les Aubrais to mark a new stage in the development of intermodal transport in France. This project is intended to contribute to more sustainable freight transport and better integration between national, European, and maritime rail freight flows.
After the closure of the old combined transport site in Orléans, a new site was chosen in the town of Les Aubrais. Its location allows easy access to the urban infrastructure and is close to the industrial and logistics center. The project to build the site has received €10.3 million in funding from the State and the Centre-Val de Loire and Normandy regions. According to the preliminary schedule, the new facility will be operational in early 2025 and is expected to handle up to 150 containers per day.
Combined transport in France is experiencing significant growth, reflected in an increase in the number of journeys and the average tonnage of trains. In 2022, this mode of transport will have 30% more tonne-kilometers than in 2019 (the last year before the Covid crisis). Combined transport is expected to triple by 2030, thanks in particular to the acceleration of investments made possible by the 1 billion euro freight renewal plan, which will focus in particular on the renewal of operational tracks, the widening of certain engineering structures, the digitalization of rail freight transport and the increase in the capacity of combined transport sites.
