IN Brief:
- CMA CGM is progressing a hybrid-electric barge project on the Fos-Lyon corridor.
- The 156 TEU vessel is tied to charging infrastructure in Lyon and Arles, plus a €40 million terminal upgrade.
- The group is using the project to push more freight onto inland waterways and rail by 2030.
CMA CGM is moving ahead with plans to deploy a hybrid-electric inland barge on the Fos-Lyon corridor, extending its push to build a lower-carbon multimodal route between Marseille-Fos, Lyon, and the wider Rhône Valley. The project is designed to support a more regular and competitive inland service while drawing additional container flows away from road haulage on one of southern France’s most important freight axes.
The proposed vessel will be 185 metres long with capacity for 156 TEU, and the group has said the service has annual potential of nearly 12,000 TEU. Delivery is scheduled for 2028, with the barge to be built in Europe, and discussions are at an advanced stage with inland operator Combronde over operation and commercial deployment. That places the scheme beyond pilot-stage ambition and closer to a defined network investment, particularly as it sits alongside broader changes to terminal and inland capacity on the corridor.
CMA CGM is also working with Compagnie Nationale du Rhône on charging infrastructure in Lyon and Arles, with technical studies under way and construction activity due to begin in coordination with regional authorities. In parallel, the group and its partners are investing €40 million to modernise the Lyon Rhône Terminal after securing a 30-year sub-concession in 2025. The consortium includes Banque des Territoires, the Lyon Métropole Saint-Étienne Roanne Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the Aix-Marseille-Provence Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
By 2030, CMA CGM is targeting 100,000 TEU a year on inland waterways in Lyon and 60,000 TEU a year by rail. It has already added two extra barge departures a week since late 2025 to increase frequency and reliability on the corridor. Taken together, the river barge, terminal works, rail growth, and charging plan point to a more structured inland freight strategy rather than a single decarbonisation project. The prize is not only lower emissions, but a more durable inland logistics link serving industrial zones around Fos-Berre, the Ain plain, and the Chemical Valley, while easing pressure on the A7 motorway.
