CMA CGM is moving ahead with plans to strengthen inland container flows on the Mediterranean–Rhône–Saône corridor, announcing an electric and hybrid river barge project alongside a €40m modernisation of the Lyon Rhône terminal.

The French shipping group said the electric barge, planned for deployment on the Fos–Lyon axis, could be in service within two years and carry close to 12,000 teu per year. The project was unveiled during a visit to Lyon attended by France’s transport minister Philippe Tabarot.

The proposed vessel will be a 185-m-long barge with a capacity of 156 teu, built in Europe and scheduled for delivery in 2028. CMA CGM is in advanced discussions with inland operator Combronde to run and market the service.

The Rodolphe Saadé-led group is also working with Compagnie Nationale du Rhône (CNR) on the installation of charging infrastructure in Lyon and Arles, with technical studies underway and construction expected to start shortly. The charging project is being developed alongside regional authorities and with support from European funding programmes.

Alongside the barge project, CMA CGM and its partners have kicked off a major upgrade of the Lyon Rhône Terminal (LRT), following the award of a 30-year sub-concession in April 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.

The €40m ($47m) investment, spread over two years, will modernise the terminal’s infrastructure and support higher river and rail volumes on the Fos–Lyon corridor.

By 2030, CMA CGM aims to double its multimodal volumes in Lyon, targeting 100,000 teu per year by inland waterways and 60,000 teu per year by rail. The group has already taken steps to increase river capacity, adding two extra barge departures per week since late 2025 to improve service frequency and reliability for shippers.

The Fos–Lyon corridor is seen as a key logistics artery linking Marseille-Fos with the Rhône Valley and eastern France. CMA CGM said shifting more cargo onto river and rail would help ease congestion on the A7 motorway while cutting emissions, with barge transport producing up to 80% less CO₂ than road haulage.

The Mediterranean–Rhône–Saône axis serves major industrial zones including Fos-Berre, the Ain plain, and the Chemical Valley, and is widely viewed as central to France’s efforts to move freight away from road and towards lower-carbon transport modes.

The Rhône initiative follows a similar move by CMA CGM in Southeast Asia, where the group has rolled out Vietnam’s first fully electric container barge in partnership with Nike. That project, operating on inland waterways between Binh Duong Province and the Gemalink terminal, uses battery-powered barge technology and dedicated solar-powered charging infrastructure to cut emissions and handle more than 50,000 teu annually.