Western Port Terminal to slash CO₂ with HVO-powered vehicles and low-carbon rail solutions

The MODALIS Group and Dunkerque-Port have laid the foundation stone of the Western Port rail-road transhipment terminal, a next-generation multimodal platform designed to accelerate the decarbonisation of freight transport across Europe.
At the heart of the project is a commitment to sustainability, with cutting-edge, low-emission equipment including HVO-powered vehicles and electric locomotives.
Vehicles powered by HVO fuel reduce CO₂ emissions by 85%, and electric locomotives handle railway manoeuvres, minimising environmental impact. A shared maintenance area for wagons, swap bodies, and semi-trailers will be open to all operators, increasing operational efficiency and reducing empty journeys.
Transport accounts for nearly 30% of France’s CO₂ emissions, making the development of greener freight solutions a national priority.
The terminal supports this goal by enabling the transfer of road traffic to rail, reducing reliance on road-only transport, and aligning with the France Logistique 2030 plan and the European Green Deal, which aims to double rail freight volumes by 2050.
The €25 million project, co-funded by MODALIS and Dunkerque-Port, is scheduled to be operational from spring 2026.
Located on 9.6 hectares along the Loon-Plage railway line, in the heart of a dense industrial zone and close to the Great Britain and Ireland Ro-Ro terminals, the terminal will significantly reduce road congestion and CO₂ emissions while optimising goods flows in the Hauts-de-France region.
Designed to transfer freight from road to rail, the terminal can accommodate up to four 750-metre-long trains, each capable of carrying 130–150 semi-trailers. Its storage area can hold more than 600 transport units, including swap bodies and trailers. Up to 50,000 ITUs could be removed from the road annually, avoiding nearly 70,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions.