FRENCH intermodal operator Open Modal has opened a new terminal at Grans-Miramas, northwest of Marseille.
The West Provence Terminal (TOP) replaces the facility at Marseille Canet, near to the centre of that city, which is due to close soon for redevelopment of the site.
The first service to use the new terminal on May 4 was an 850m train from Bonneuil-sur-Marne, in the southeastern suburbs of Paris, operated by Open Modal subsidiary Combirail, which formerly operated to Marseille Canet.
Running five days a week, the service from Bonneuil was previously operated by DB Cargo France for Open Modal subsidiary T3M.
Combirail also operates services for T3M from Valenton, southeast of Paris, to Avignon and Marseille, and for Groupe Combronde from Fos-sur-Mer, near Marseille, to Chalon-sur-Saône and Loire-sur-Rhône.
T3M services where other rail freight operators provide traction are:
- Lille - Valenton - Marseille, Captrain France
- Lille - Bordeaux, DB Cargo France
- Valenton - Bordeaux, DB Cargo France, and
- Lille - Valenton - Fenouillet (Toulouse), DB Cargo France.
All of the Marseille services are to be transferred to TOP and the services operated by Captrain and DB Cargo are expected to be taken over by Combirail in the medium term.
