French freight operator uses diesel traction due to high electricity costs

Logi-Railway, a new entrant in the French freight market, is using diesel traction to carry trains over very long distances on electrified routes because electric locomotives are too expensive. Railway Supply magazine writes about this, citing IRJ.

Logi-Railway Managing Director Mr. Vincent Chancel said the use of electric traction was out of the question after infrastructure manager SNCF Network more than quadrupled the traction current fee from 111.95 EUR/MWh in 2022 to 473.51 EUR/MWh in 2023. The railway industry asked the French government to intervene.

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In place of electric traction, Logi-Railway is using class 66 diesel locomotives or pairs of Vossloh G1206 locomotives to haul container trains from Champigneulles, near Nancy in eastern France, to Bayonne in the southwest, a distance of over 1100km. Diesel traction is also being used to haul container trains from Champigneulles to Rennes (800km), and on trains carrying cereals from the Centre region to Marseille (900 km) and Lacq (750 km).

Logi-Railway started operations at the end of last year, providing shunting services to other operators in Champignele. Earlier this year, it began hauling grain for VTG, while Lacq hauled in corn for bioethanol production. The frequency of service will be gradually increased to one train per week on routes to Marseille and Lac.

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