ON FEBRUARY 27 an agreement was signed to bring Renfe into partnership with the railways of Belgium, Luxembourg, France and Italy to extend the first Trans-European Rail Freight Freeway. The deal was signed by SNCF and RFF, SNCB, CFL, and the FS Infrastructure Directorate. The Terff which opened on January 12 (RG 2.98 p69) will be extended to Valencia and Marseille. The section from Lyon to the port of Gioia Tauro in southern Italy is not yet available, because Italy has still not passed legislation bringing the EU’s 91/440 open access directive into force.
From the start of the summer timetable on May 24, the Terff will link yards at Muizen, Bettembourg, Metz, Sibelin/ Vénissieux, Marseille, Port Bou, Barcelona and Valencia. In addition to the 17 pairs of paths available over sections of the Terff between Muizen and Gioia Tauro, there will be four pairs between Lyon and Valencia and one between Lyon and Marseille. o
