The French group Modal Group, the new name of Modalis Group since February 2026, has announced a combined road–rail service between France and Italy. The first train on the Lyon–Piacenza route is scheduled for 9 March and will be managed by the subsidiary Delta Rail, which will operate the rail connection within the intermodal chain. The service will link the Rhône Terminal in Lyon with the logistics hub of Piacenza, enabling the rail transport of loading units such as semi-trailers, swap bodies and containers, with first- and last-mile road integration.
In its initial phase, the service between Lyon and Piacenza will operate with three weekly round trips. The link represents the central segment of a broader logistics corridor connecting the port of Dunkerque with northern Italy via Chalon-sur-Saône and Lyon. At a later stage, the industrial plan envisages extending the service along the entire Dunkerque–Chalon-sur-Saône–Lyon–Piacenza axis and increasing frequencies to five weekly round trips starting from 2027.
The project is linked to the development of new infrastructure at the port of Dunkerque. Modal Group is developing a road–rail terminal at the French port that is scheduled to enter service in 2026 and is designed to connect container and ferry terminals directly with the rail network. The facility could enable the transfer of around 50,000 transport units from road to rail. The port is integrated with the maritime services of the company Dfds, which operates ro-ro routes between Dunkerque and the ports of Dover in the United Kingdom and Rosslare in Ireland.
The connection is part of a broader project to develop intermodal corridors in which Modal Group aims to integrate rail, road, inland waterways and maritime transport. It also forms part of a wider strengthening of the group’s logistics ecosystem. Modal Group controls several activities related to the management of intermodal infrastructure and logistics services. These include Terminaux Multimodaux, a company that manages intermodal platforms and infrastructure, including several ports in Lorraine operated on behalf of Voies Navigables de France (French Waterways Authority).
The group, founded in 2002 by Bernard Meï and specialising in low-emission multimodal solutions, has announced the change of name from Modalis to Modal Group with the aim of strengthening its international positioning and its strategy focused on the decarbonisation of logistics. At the same time, the group is developing its own railway undertaking, called Traix, which is expected to begin operations during 2026.
