CMA CGM to Launch Electric River Barge Service
CMA CGM is preparing to launch an electric inland barge on France’s Fos-Lyon corridor, with an annual potential of nearly 12,000 TEUs.
The initiative aims to promote a regular, reliable, competitive and decarbonized logistics solution between the Port of Marseille-Fos, Lyon and the Rhône Valley, to accelerate a modal shift and relieve congestion on the A7 motorway.
By 2030, the Group aims to double its multimodal volumes in Lyon, increasing inland waterway transport to 100,000 TEUs per year and rail transport to 60,000 TEUs per year.
The barge is 185 meters long and has a capacity of 156 TEU.
Delivery is scheduled for 2028, with construction in Europe. Discussions are at an advanced stage with operator Combronde for the operation and commercial deployment of the service.
At the same time, CMA CGM is working closely with Compagnie Nationale du Rhône (CNR) on technical studies relating to charging stations in Lyon and Arles, with works starting this week, in coordination with the Sud and Auvergne–Rhône-Alpes Regions.
CMA CGM, leading a consortium comprising Banque des Territoires, CCI Lyon Métropole Saint-Étienne Roanne and CCI métropolitaine Aix-Marseille-Provence, reached a major milestone in April 2025 with the award of the sub-concession of Lyon Rhône Terminal (LRT), a strategic multi-user, multimodal terminal on the MeRS corridor.
An investment of €40 million has been confirmed to modernize the terminal’s inland port facilities, with works to be launched as early as this year. By 2030, the Group has set ambitious targets:
• to double inland waterway volumes, reaching 100,000 TEUs per year,
• to double rail volumes, reaching 60,000 TEUs per year.
These investments were accompanied, as early as last year, by a structuring decision to accelerate the development of the Fos–Lyon corridor. At a time when inland waterway services were based on four weekly departures with a transit time of 36 hours, CMA CGM decided to commit alongside operator Combronde to two additional barges per week.
