It is a big piece on the menu of the session of the regional council devoted to the budget this Wednesday and this Thursday in Dijon. The region is going to put to the vote the opening to competition of 100% of its Regional Express Trains.
– Thomas Nougaillon
A first in France which must come into force from the end of the current agreement with the SNCF in 2025. The first calls for tenders to private companies could therefore take place on January 1, 2026. This is an obligation provided for by law. European transcribed at the French level. But the socialist president of the region, Marie-Guite Dufay, promises safeguards.
“We are going to put in place precise specifications which will translate our desire for the public service of travelers: what type of additional offer do we want to have? What type of quality do we require? What prices etc.? who will order these specifications and will answer for the SNCF operators of course, but also other operators”.
The President of the Region intends to set up a “public service delegation”so it is very different from a “privatization” TERs, she explains. Be that as it may, the 8 elected Communists of the region who are nevertheless part of its majority do not want this project. They are asking for a re-convention with the SNCF before the pivotal date of December 2023 for a period of 7 or 10 years, which would save time. The CGT, SUD Rail, CFDT and UNSA unions united in inter-union made the same request in mid-January to Marie-Guite Dufay.
Jean-Christophe Gossart, secretary general of the CGT in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, was not convinced by this interview. “The regional council hides behind legal quibbles to explain to us that it is compulsory. We, the four trade unions, say ‘no, it is not compulsory’ because we have examples of regions like Grand-Est which ‘spans’ this fateful date of December 2023, and it is not to do the status quo, it is to create a new agreement with obviously more rail service, more trains and more means in the end for users “.
– Thomas Nougaillon
According to Jean-Christophe Gossart, the SNCF figures are good in our region with “regularity of TER of almost 94% in 2021”our region would also be the second in terms of “of the fewest number of trains removed”. Also to the opening to competition the CGT prefers the improvement of the current agreement with the SNCF.
– Thomas Nougaillon
It is this Thursday that the regional councilors are called upon to vote for or against this project. For their part, the unions have planned to distribute leaflets to elected officials this Wednesday to challenge them. Unions which also call to demonstrate Thursday from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. in front of the Region to defend “the public rail service with the SNCF”. Contacted the SNCF explains that it has not “to comment on the decisions of the transport authorities”.
Who are the operators interested in our TER?
Depending on the project, 4 or 8 lots could be awarded for contract periods of 7 to 10 years. Of course, the incumbent operator will be able to respond to the calls for tenders which should be launched from January 1, 2026, among the other operators which could arrive on the French side: Keolis (subsidiary of SNCF), Transdev and RATP Dev and on the European side Italian, German or even Dutch rail operators and perhaps also cooperative societies according to a source very close to the matter at the Region.
Find this report this Wednesday, January 26, 2022 in the 6/9 of your France Bleu (98.3 or 103.7) for France Bleu Bourgogne