The day after the IPCC published a new alarmist report, who says the other way around? Between the southern coast of Great Britain and the northern part of Spain – via France – a portion of the Noria of bitumen-swallowing trucks board the train, which is very beneficial to the weather. In addition to the maritime links between the British Isles and the Iberian Peninsula, this is the ambition of the future Cherbourg-Bayonne Rail Motorway that the Brittany Ferries Company is proposing to launch.

Target: 20,000 heavy goods vehicles on the tracks

In early 2020, its president, Jean-Marc Ru, made the announcement. ” Brexit will increase the need for north-south transportation in ports such as Cherbourg on the west side of the strait. “, He predicted at the time: The goal is to convert 20,000 heavy goods vehicles from bitumen to rail each year without drivers (we’re talking about unattended trailers).

In Paris, Bretton Bose’s suggestion did not fall on deaf ears. The following summer she received an official blank check from Jean Costax. In the National Rail Freight Strategy, the Cherberg-Bayonne Link joins the other two major routes, the Perpignan-Runkis and the Calais-Seth, and the government is committed to doubling its share of freight traffic by 2030. Share – It’s worth remembering – France has been stagnant for about 9% for ten years, less than half the European average.

When is the end of the tunnel?

But two years after the Prime Minister’s announcement, the plan is still in limbo. With the support of the Normandy region, which is preparing for millions of operations, Jean-Marc Roe hopes to push the start button by the end of 2021. After the health crisis, the tunnel does not seem to end. Tomorrow. Suspiciously, problems with the size of the bridges on the route Way SNCF Rizo seems to have been unresolved for years.

Transport Minister Jean-Baptiste Jebari, who visited Cherberg on February 7, announced that the route would begin on an alternative route by the end of 2023 or early 2024, and two years later, David Margaret, the region’s vice president, strongly doubted the reality of these commitments.

⁇ We expected the Minister to assure us that these barriers within the SNCF resource would be removed, but his speech was empty without new announcements. », On him.

Brittany Ferris is awaiting a framework agreement from SNCF

In Brittany Ferris, the subject is much less. If the company qualifies ” Good news ം Initiation of a call for Ministerial Confirmation of Interest, however, requiring promises from the Railway Company before considering the commencement of the Rail.

⁇ I can not offer a trip until SNCF Rizo is committed to a framework agreement that guarantees the availability of railroads. [les créneaux d’autorisation donnés aux trains, Ndlr], What she does not want to do now “, Explains Jean-Marc Ru.

The person concerned said he expects the situation to be unblocked by mid-March. ” I continue to struggle For this completely innovative project “, He assures.

On the part of SNCF Riso, no agreement was mentioned, but we swear that the case is progressing smoothly. ” We are confident about the announced deadline for Brittany ferries to receive quality railroads from 2024. », Norman direction assures us.

But even there, Cottentin expresses doubts. ” Existing users are asked to facilitate tasks over time so as not to disrupt traffic “I hope you know someone who is familiar with the file.

The port of Cherbourg, which has tripled its traffic in 2021 due to the arrival of heavy goods vehicles from Ireland or into Ireland, is at an additional risk. ” It will take at least two years to even start work on the railway platform tomorrow morning “Its director, Philip Dees, says that in these circumstances, the schedule offered by Jean-Baptiste Jebbari may seem a little optimistic, if not unrealistic.