Woippy-Mannheim: Constructing and deconstructing proximity in a border situation. An innovative bi-national pail freight service and its limits between France and Germany (2000-2014)
Journal: Les Cahiers scientifiques du transport
Year: 2015

Missing links and technical interoperability prevail usually when explaining the lack of European integration in rail freight activities. The case of the successful but soon interrupted connection set by DB-Schenker and Fret SNCF from 2003 to 2009 between two main rail terminals Woippy (France) and Mannheim (Germany) highlights other decisive drivers for inter-connecting two national offers into a common service. Why did it failed? A first explanation could be the decision taken by the European