New Connections for France, Port of Rotterdam

With the launch of a new rail shuttle and inland shipping link, connections between Northern France and the port of Rotterdam are now better than ever. Five times a week, a train leaves Rotterdam for Dourges, and the inland shipping schedule also includes a number of departures per week.

These connections, which were launched this spring, serve as a hub from and to other destinations in the South of France.

France is an industrial center for the automotive, electronics, pharmaceutical and food processing sectors. On top of that, the country’s agricultural sector is the largest of its kind in the EU, and France stands as one of the world’s foremost wine producers. To import and export all this cargo, the Port of Rotterdam aims to ensure that connections are optimal.

Besides the new rail shuttle and the new connection for inland container vessels, there is another new development on the horizon. The financing for the new Scheldt-Seine connection has been green lighted. This project will kick off in 2018 and be rounded off by 2021. Its realization will expand the country’s existing inland shipping options even further.