The most efficient way to transport goods is via waterways. The Seine-Nord Europe Channel is a wide-gauge channel that will link Compiègne in the Oise to Aubencheul-au-Bac in the North of France, allowing large barges to travel efficiently between France, Belgium and the Netherlands.
A typical European cargo vessel carries approximately 2 200 tonnes, which equals roughly two freight trains with 1 070 tons or 92 trucks at 24 tons each. And a typical boat runs with a crew of four people today, and makes far less noise than a train.
The new channel is 107 km long and expected to be finished in 2033. Seven locks and three canal bridges including a structure to cross the Somme have been necessary. The channel will link the Seine to the Scheldt waterway network, allowing to access 20 000 km of European waterways. It will accommodate barges measuring up to 185 meters long and 11,40 meters wide.
It is estimated that, a few years after its commissioning, the Seine-Nord Europe Canal will transport approximately 17 million tons of goods per year and reduce road traffic by 1 million heavy goods vehicles in France, and even by 2,3 million across Europe along the Seine-Scheldt waterway.
Lean more about the Channel here.
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