The airport in the Walloon region of Belgium has recently experienced an enormous upswing in air freight. What is less well-known, is that there are also truck shuttles linking China with Liège, alongside freight trains stopping at a nearby railway station. These favorable conditions call for the creation of a multimodal air-rail-road hub. It has now been officially inaugurated.
Strictly speaking, multimodality has been a topic at Liège for some time. Evidenced, for instance, by Liège Logistics Intermodal (LLI), a subsidiary of the Belgian Group Novandi. Under its control, scheduled freight trains run permanently between China and Liège. Whether they use Russian tracks on their way across the vast Eurasian land mass, despite Western sanctions, a Liège spokesperson declined to comment, which could be interpreted as a confirmation.
Multimodal logistics hub
Another Novandi Group subsidiary is Lineas Services, which manages multimodal terminals at the North and South ends of the airport. As is Renory, which earns its money with the storage and handling of freight shipments.
Liège Airport (LGG) and the Novandi Group have now agreed on a close partnership, which primarily involves Liège Logistics Intermodal (LLI). Liège Airport will take a 10% stake in the company, which it will acquire from Novandi. This new alliance is intended as a platform to establish the Liège region as a key logistics hub offering versatile transport solutions for local and international companies.
Rail transports may become more attractive – financially
Their cooperation is part of a broader European context that also includes water transportation, in alignment with the objectives of the Green Deal and the EU’s sustainable mobility strategy. And as far as trucking over longer distances is concerned: the increasing toll and fees for greenhouse gas emissions may make rail freight transported over longer distances an even more attractive option in the coming years, from the point of view of an operator’s balance sheet.
Targeted modernization program
During the initial phase of their pact, investments of EUR 22 million are planned. The funds will be spent on modernizing and expanding Liège Logistics Intermodal’s existing rail-rail-road platform. Particularly the rail tracks need to be brought up to European standards, along with the installation of gantry cranes and upgraded access roads.
The second phase will entail the building of new access points and roadway modifications, the construction of a new storage and processing area for goods, and the development of a horizontal piggyback loading platform.
These developments will enable the rail-road platform to handle up to 45 trains a week, representing an annual capacity of 180,000 containers. This new air-rail-road alliance will make freight even more attractive in the Liège region, a joint press release forecasts.
State-supported upswing
LLI’s rail-road platform has existed since the early 2000s and is located 1.5 km off the airport, alongside the regional rail line and the Liège-Brussels TGV line. The platform is managed by LLI, but owned by SPI, the regional development agency for the province of Liège. With its three complementary business lines – regional development, infrastructure, and services – it offers an integrated solution to its customers, whether they are private or public companies.
Since the beginning of this year, LLI has handled nine freight trains a week between Liège and Italy, and three weekly trains linking China with Liège.
What has worked well for years and is confirmed here once again, is the fruitful cooperation between all players in the supply chain, strongly supported by the regional government of Wallonia. The result is the transformation of a region formerly dominated by coal and steel, into a modern industrial and service landscape with Liège Airport as the nucleus of development. Not to mention the many skilled jobs that have been created as a result of the economic modernization and upswing.
