SNCF High Speed Rail Freight

[bangyuk]

Does anyone remember an SNCF freight operation in the '80s or '90s that ran intermodal trains at up to 160kph? I thought it was called Chronofret but I can't find anything on Google (not helped by a freight forwarder having the same name!).

Thanks

Ian B

 

[JonathanP]

I have no hard evidence but I remember reading that the final 160km/h working ended a just a couple of years ago.

In the mid 90's Deutsche Bahn, too, ran containerised parcel trains at 160km/h for DHL/Deutsche Post, under the name "Parcel Intercity". The parcel trains still run, but nsurpringly, in the modern world of sectorisation where all the extra infrastructure/energy costs of higher speeds are billed back to the operator, and all 160km/h locomotives are ordinarily dedicated to passenger work and have to be cross-hired to work goods traffic, the finances didn't stack any more.

 

[dutchflyer]

SNCF at the start of its TGV-workings also had TGV-postal-which just did what the name says=TPO in english (travelling post office-though it only carried), which you might consider as ''fret''. Were abandoned and laid aside soon after 2000.

 

[daikilo]

SNCF at the start of its TGV-workings also had TGV-postal-which just did what the name says=TPO in english (travelling post office-though it only carried), which you might consider as ''fret''. Were abandoned and laid aside soon after 2000.

Continued until 2015.

 

[Prima]

The last 160 kph train (classified as "MV160" type) ran at the end of September 2016 between Sucy-en-Brie (Paris surburbs) and Miramas. Its nickname was "Baygon vert" because of the colour of the wagons which were used on these trains.

In December 2014, another MV160 was downgraded to ME140 category following its client's wish to lengthen the train from 550 m to 750 m and to allow a hauled weight of 1500 tonnes (instead of 900 t). This train is still running between Dourges Delta 3 (intermodal platform near Lille) and Avignon.

Nowadays, the fastest freight trains in France are running up to 140 kph. Only three pairs are remaining :

- for the shipper "Froidcombi", focusing mainly on refrigerated containers' transport.
Two pairs on a cross-night basis, from Monday evening to Saturday morning.
routes :
Dourges Delta 3 - Avignon
Valenton (Paris) - Avignon

- the last pair from Perpignan to Rungis (Parisian wholesale market). Note since last June, following an agreement with SNCF's passenger division, these trains are also carrying some autoracks. Individual travellers' cars are loaded at "Auto-train" Paris Bercy station.

All trains are runned by one of the four SNCF's freight divisions and hauled by Class BB 26000 (sometimes by Class BB 27000 due to maintenance reasons)