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Can the river Seine play a key role in the freight transport system of “Grand Paris” (Greater Paris), from international flows to urban distribution outlets? Below, a systemic approach to the freight transport system within metropolitan areas is outlined. The prominence of the road system is seen to have led to a twofold disconnection between the river and the city, a disconnection from production and distribution processes, and also a spatial disconnection highlighted by the process of “logistics suburbanization”. As a major European metropolitan area, Paris provides a very useful case study. The paper recommends reconnecting the river to the city for freight transport. This can only be achieved through strong-willed metropolitan planning and policies aimed at freight and logistics activities.