Sustainable transport in France

A new rail and river link at our Marolles-sur-Seine site, an hour south of Paris, is the first of its kind in France.

Limestone is carried to the site by rail from a quarry 200 km away. To make this possible, the rail operator agreed to reopen an 8 km stretch of unused line. The limestone travels the final 3 km to the site by conveyor belt, which is covered to contain noise and dust. The rail operator plans to extend the link a further 22 km by 2011, creating a more direct route.

The Marolles site uses limestone to produce aggregates, which it delivers by barge to customers and ready-mix concrete plants in Paris. We can carry larger quantities of product by barge than by road, increasing efficiency. As river transport uses roughly a third less fuel than road haulage, the multimodal link reduces greenhouse gas emissions and will soon pay for itself. The limestone is mixed with alluvial sand and gravel, reducing the amount needed and extending the quarry's life.

Reopening the railway has also reduced our impact on our neighbors, as transporting limestone by rail rather than road creates less noise and dust.