New freight contract for Fret SNCF
Fret SNCF, the cargo arm of the French national railway, has won the trust of Dillinger Hütte, Europe’s leading producer of heavy plates that are used in the construction of skyscrapers, bridges, ships, pipelines and wind turbine towers. The new freight agreement foresees the annual transportation of 200,000 t of limestone flux – a commodity that is used in iron production. Fret SNCF will operate three trains per week for three years to fulfil the contract. The freight will depart from the Novacarb quarry at Pagny-sur-Meuse (Lorraine) for the Dilling plant (in the Sarre region, Germany). Rail transport has been chosen over road transport for the first time for this traffic, thus allowing Dillinger Hütte to reduce its CO2 emissions thirteen-fold. (ben)