Wedoany.com Report-Dec 14, The project includes major infrastructure upgrades and will initially operate three days a week.

After almost two decades, freight trains will return to Cherbourg-en-Cotentin regularly. A pilot train will test the infrastructure and signaling systems on 10 December 2024 on the route between Cherbourg station and the port. This trial is part of an initiative to resume freight services between Cherbourg and Bayonne in the spring of 2025.

The project involves a major upgrade of the port's rail links and is being led by Brittany Ferries, Ports de Normandie, and SNCF Réseau, with support from the French government and the European Union. Once operational, the service will run three days a week. This will be extended to five days in each direction. The 750-meter-long trains will be able to carry 42 semi-trailers. They will replace up to 30,000 trucks per year, significantly reducing carbon emissions and road congestion.

The project is in line with France's National Strategy for the Development of Rail Freight and aims to improve multimodal transport solutions. It is also in line with the growing demand for sustainable logistics in connection with trans-European trade routes, including the Trans-Caspian corridor.

"At a time when environmental concerns, the increasing size of ships, and Brexit are having a major impact on cross-Channel traffic, Ports de Normandie and Brittany Ferries have decided to respond to these various challenges by developing this alternative mode of transport. This first trial train is an essential stage in this ambitious project, which will enable the Port of Cherbourg to develop its hinterland and continue its development without jeopardizing cross-Channel traffic to Dieppe and Ouistreham," said Hervé Morin, Président de Ports de Normandie.