After almost two years at a standstill, the primeurs train, which links Perpignan (Pyrénées-Orientales) to Rungis (Val-de-Marne), is about to resume service. We now know the exact date: the refrigerated wagons, which transport tons of fruit and vegetables from the south of France to the famous Ile-de-France market, will be back on October 21, we learned on Wednesday, during a joint press conference of the Occitanie region and the SNCF, in Montpellier (Hérault).
Takeover by RLE
In the summer of 2019, this rail line was suddenly stopped, due to lack of customers, and the dilapidated condition of its refrigerated wagons. After a long struggle between railway workers and elected officials, the State announced on September 20 its reopening, as part of the government plan of one billion euros, for the development of freight.
Rail Logistics Europe (RLE), which brings together Fret SNCF and its other European subsidiaries, won the call for expressions of interest, launched by the State. In a press release on September 23, the company indicates that its offer will combine the early bird train from Perpignan to Rungis, and the transport of containers on the rail motorway, on the Le Boulou / Gennevilliers axis, from the month of next April.