Wallonia | Strategic location | Access to markets

Wallonia has a pivotal location in Western Europe. This strategic position places it at the heart of the European motorway network, at the intersection of six major trunk roads.

motorway network

With 842 kilometres of motorway, Wallonia provides optimal connections to the main belgian cities and neighbouring countries.

By road, you can reach a population of 58.8 million inhabitants in just 4 hours and join a large slice of Western European within a mere day’s drive. Home to 370 million consumers, and embracing twenty major cities, this area which is known by some as the "European banana" stretches from England in the North to Spain in the South.

Rail network

The region's rail network also benefits from this strategic location. Four major European network rail lines serve Wallonia, carrying 13 million tonnes of freight each year, and providing work for 3,700 people.

High-speed trains will also play a role in the transportation of commercial goods in the region, as there is every indication that Wallonia will be selected as one of a very small number of European stops for high-speed train freight.

inland waterways

In terms of size, the Port Autonome de Liège (PAL) is the third largest inland port in Europe, ahead of Duisburg and just before Paris. In 2007, it handled 21 million tonnes, all modes of transport combined.

Thanks to its strategic location, right at the heart of the Rhine-Escaut-Meuse basin, its direct access to the world's largest port centre (Antwerp-Rotterdam, Gent, Zeebruge) has undoubtedly played an important role in the development of the port.

A number of ongoing and forthcoming investment projects are designed to modernise the port's infrastructure.

airline network

Strongly positioned in the freight market niche, Liege airport - which is opened 24/7 - handled 489,870 tonnes of freight in 2007.

This makes it the eighth leading freight airport in Europe.

The infrastructure at this regional airport allows it to accommodate major carriers serving Europe, Asia and Africa. It also has its own Customs service as well as an approved veterinary centre.

complementary infrastructure

However, the attractiveness of Wallonia lies in the complementarity of its infrastructures rather than in the diversity of its modes of transport. The region boasts six multimode platforms (rail/water/road/air), all fully equipped to deal with any type of transport or logistics operation.

Apart from freight management, Wallonia boasts a large number of strategically located business zones and a particularly rich and diversified range of commercial premises.

This is coupled with a vast range of experienced service providers offering a wide selection of added-value logistic services.