France is highly geared towards international trade. It has an up to date freight forwarding and international freight infrastructure and excellent internal and external communications links.Actually, the transport infrastructure in France is one of the most efficient to be found anywhere in Europe and this makes international freight services streamlined and effective. In particular, France is a world leader in railway technology as well as leader in developments in the area of modern tramways. Rail transport is therefore always a great option for shipping companies and freight services operating in France.The transport network is designed as a web, with Paris at the centre. There is a total of nearly 32,000 kilometres of railway in France, most of which is operated by the French railway company, SNCF.Over the last two decades, a set of high speed LGV (lignes a grande vitesse) have been built to link most parts of France with Paris.There are same gauge rail links to adjacent countries of Belgium, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and Sweden, as well as the Channel Tunnel link with the United KIngdom. So freight companies looking to provide freight forwarding to or from France will invariably consider freight transport by rail as one of the main candidates. The fact that the French high speed train, the TGV, has broken world speed records is an indication of the way that France is a real global leader in rail transport. For freight transport, rail is exemplary in France.However, it is not only the rail network that works extremely efficiently in France.There are over a million kilometres of roads in France. The autoroute system consists mainly of toll roads and is a network amounting to 12,000 km. Believe it or not, France is behind only the [USA|United States} and Canada with its highway network.It has over 30,000 kilometres of major trunk roads and state owned motorways.France is believed to be more dependent on cars than any other nation. The road network is of course always a key element of any logistics strategy and in France, forwarders know that there are unlikely to be any problems and that carriage by road is invariably fast and efficient.The waterway and canal system in France is also excellent and the network of waterways, some natural and some manmade, is the largest in Europe and is over 8500 km. VNF (which translates into English as 'Navigable Waterways of France') manages the navigable sections of the waterways. Roughly 20% of the waterways network is suitable for cargo transport by commercial vessels of over 1000 tonnes, which is good news for the shipping company. There is more good news as well.The VNF is operating an ongoing programme of modernisation to help support France's strategy of attracting more freight companies onto the waterways and away from the road network.There is also a structured maintenance programme, so freight services are unlikely to be disrupted. This ongoing programme of maintenance includes increasing the depth of the waterways, the widths of the locks and the height available in tunnels. As this modernisation programme continues, freight forwarding in France is likely to include still greater use of waterborne transport.France has a large merchant marine. French companies operate over 1400 vessels and France's 110 shipping companies employ 12,500 personnel at sea and 15,500 on land. Every year, over 300,000 tonnes of goods are transported by sea. Sea transport accounts for 72% of France's imports and exports. France also has a huge number of seaports, supporting the international freight market, including Bordeaux, Le Havre, Marseille, Nantes and Sainte - Malo.There are also nearly 500 airports in France. Aeroports de Paris manages the two busiest airports, Charles de Gaulle and Orly, as well as having governance over twelve other airports.The national carrier, Air France, flies to 150 international destinations, making France a very well connected country. This means that freight services can be as effective and efficient as anywhere in the world and that customers know that their freight company is able to choose between a selection of excellent freight transport options.
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France is highly geared towards international trade. It has a developed freight forwarding and international freight infrastructure and excellent internal and external communications.
Stephen Willis is Managing Director of RW Freight Services a UK based freight transport company, established in 1971 and operating worldwide freight forwarding services including specialist freight services to and from France
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