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A new freight service combining ro-ro and rail transport will link Turkey with Paris and markets beyond.

Turkish intermodal operator EKOL and SNCF's Logistics' subsidiary Viia have teamed up to launch a rail freight 'motorway' service between the French Mediterranean port of Sète and a Paris rail hub.

Last year, EKOL launched a weekly ro-ro service between the Turkish port of Izmir and Sète with a capacity of 180 trailers and a transit time of 48 hours.

"For the first anniversary of our ro-ro service between Izmir and Sète we are pleased to announce its continuation to Paris by rail, making it a truly unique multimodal transport solution," said EKOL's chairman Ahmet Musul.

From mid-October 2015, the new rail motorway service will operate twice weekly from Sète to Noisy-le-Sec in the suburbs of the French capital. But there are plans to increase the frequency to three times weekly or more very soon after launch.

VIIA's sales director, Daniel Lebreton, commented: "EKOL already uses the Bettembourg-Le Boulou connection (run by Viia between Luxembourg and the French-Spanish border under the Lorry Rail brand name) and we are glad to extend our collaboration with them and accompany their development by operating block trains between Sète and the Paris area. It is a further step in developing a European network of rail motorways, which highlights the commitment and technical know-how of SNCF Logistics," he added.

SOURCE: Lloyd's Loading List