Roissy Carex, a High-Speed Freight Rail project

Since 1999, a group of companies settled on the Roissy-Charles de Gaulle airport platform have been thinking and working together to set up a high speed freight rail service. From this idea came a struture, involving several partners:

  • Public entities: Roissy Development (Economic Development Agency of Roissy Porte de France), the Val d’Oise Economic Expansion Committee, and the city of Goussainville;
  • Private businesses: Air France Cargo, La Poste, and FedEx; and
  • The Eurocarex College: composed of Lyon Saint Exupéry Airport Authority, Liege Carex (similar project in Belgium), Eurotunnel, High speed Trains (HST) Cargo Schiphol (Amsterdam Carex), Köln-Bonn Airport Carex, and Londres Carex;

There are also two of the major freight carriers that will soon be members of this alliance (DHL and UPS) and a bunch of associated members (see the complete list on Roissy Carex website referenced below).

The service they plan to develop will be intended to serve areas at a distance comprised between 200 and 800 kilometres from the airport, thus removing short-haul flights from our sky, and freeing landing/take off slots, increasing capacity for other airlines. Cleaner, almost as fast on these short distances, the high speed rail solution for freight transportation really is a way to move goods in an environmentally friendly way. On the French and European high-speed rail network, this also means that containers will be able to travel from Paris to Lyon in 2h00 time, to Marseille in 3h00, to Brussels in 1h30…

All the European partners recently met in Roissy Charles de Gaulle airport to discuss the creation of EuroCAREX, to establish a relationship between all “CAREX” initiatives in Europe. In the end, EuroCAREX will have its headquarters in Brussels, and will be led by Mr. Yanick Paternotte, Roissy CAREX President. The main aim of this new entity will be to create the European high-speed freight rail service, connecting all major airport platforms, to create the infrastructures and equipment needed in each area/country, and to promote the service and eventually find fundings to finance the service, and to develop it.

What would be the “other” solutions to operate high-speed freight rail?

Since this initiative is probably the most advanced high-speed freight rail system planned at the present time, we have been doing some thinking on “how could we transport freight in high-speed trains?”

One of my colleagues came out with what I think is a great idea, which I would like to expose here. It is not what will be or will not be implemented, but at least, it shows what could be possible to do with the infrastructure and equipment we have in France/Europe.

One proposed that we could simply use mixed TGV trains, one trainset for passengers linked to one trainset for freight: this solution would be conceivable anywhere on the high-speed and regular rail network. It has a great advantage because there would be no need for an additionnal time slot on the infrastructure. Most TGV trains are composed of two 7-car, 200-metre trainsets linked to each other, and it would totally be possible to replace one of them by a freight trainset. Such trains could be operated from southern France to Paris, using the South East HSR Line, linking logistics platform in Paris, Lyon, Miramas (southern France), or Marseille (Novatrans could be partnering on such operations).

Solutions exists, ideas are being develop, funding will come. High-speed freight rail can expect a great and brilliant future…

References

  • Website: Roissy Cargo Rail Express: here