Maersk is launching a new rail service from the Port of Barcelona to Southern France, specially designed to cut transit times of ocean cargo destined for the areas of Toulouse, Bordeaux and Lyon by using Barcelona as an alternative gateway.
The new product is expected to commence in early November and will have three weekly direct block trains between Barcelona and Toulouse as well as one weekly connection between Barcelona and Lyon. Via Toulouse, the solution also connects cargo to Bordeaux seamlessly by using a partner network.
Furthermore, according to Maersk, it is intended to extend the connectivity on the Spanish side by rail to the areas of Tarragona and Zaragoza.
This new offering can shorten transit times for imports and exports in the areas of Toulouse , Bordeaux and Lyon by up to 12 days (7 days on average) compared to traditional routings via French or North European ports.
Moreover, due to the shorter transport distances and the utilisation of electrified trains, the service can also be a more environmentally friendly routing.
Maersk noted that it will operate this new end-to-end service via its own company APM Spain Railways and will cooperate for the trains with Captrain and Navilan.