Le Havre introduces daily rail service to and from Lille

Daily rail service has commenced between the Port of Le Havre and the northern French city of Lille, initiated by the Le Havre Shuttles Co. (LHS) and the CNC (Compagnie Nouvelle des Conteneurs), the French freight railway.

The service is meant to provide more flexible logistics solutions for the growing number of shippers using France’s Nord Pas de Calais province as a distribution platform, says Jean-Pierre Ternon, president of LHS.

“As available space for new distribution facilities became more limited in the Benelux countries, the Lille area developed into a European logistics center. Direct rail service to and from Le Havre is paying off, not only in terms of traffic growth, but also for shippers looking for faster and more cost effective routes,” said Ternon.

The new service provides direct shuttle service one day a week in each direction, departing Le Havre on Mondays and Lille on Thursdays, with CNC handling cargoes through a hub near Paris on other days of the week.