French utilities provider Compagnie Nationale du Rhône has a awarded a consortium led by shipping company the CMA CGM Group a 30-year concession to operate two container terminals at the Port of Lyon.
The consortium partners include CMA CGM’s CMA Terminals Holding division, public financial institution Caisse des Dépôts, and the chambers of commerce and industry of Lyon Métropole Saint-Etienne Roanne and Marseille-Provence.
CMA CGM plans to invest €40 million (US$42 million) to connect Lyon to Fos-sur-Mer and its maritime network, with the aim of doubling the volumes of freight arriving by container on the Rhône River by 2032.
By entrusting the operation of the Port of Lyon’s two terminals to CMA CGM, CNR aims to boost container traffic on the Mediterranean-Rhône-Saône axis. This strategic axis, which connects the Mediterranean to the Rhône-Alpes regions and beyond, provides an opportunity to develop a sustainable and competitive multimodal logistics corridor from Marseille Fos to Lyon, and to northern Europe.