Transport Minister Clément Beaune said this Sunday, July 31 in the Sunday newspaper to want to make railway development a “budget priority“.”Our network has been neglected for the past thirty years. Amplifying the effort made over the past five years is my priority“, affirms the Minister, while acknowledging that the envelope devoted to the maintenance of the network is insufficient.good thing“, reacts this Sunday on franceinfo Bruno Gazeau, president of the FNAUT (National Federation of Associations of Transport Users), who calls for massive investment in the railway.
franceinfo: Further developing the TGV, supporting short lines… What do you think are the priorities?
Bruno Gazeau: Already, we are delighted that the Minister says that an effort must be made for the rail sector… Because in the past, of course, we have made efforts, but very insufficient. I simply want proof of this that when there are major holiday departures like this weekend, the SNCF cannot meet all the needs. So we really need to invest more in rail. Especially since rail is the answer to climate change. Among the priorities, of course, there is to ensure that the rail network is in good condition, reliable and that the trains are punctual. It is the most important. However, everyone knows that the performance contract which is signed between the State and the company SNCF Réseau, up to 2.8 billion per year, is very, very insufficient. All the experts agree that we need 1 billion more.
The CEO of SNCF, Jean-Pierre Farandou, proposes a plan valued at 100 billion euros to be able to double the share of rail. Do you do the same calculation?
Absolutely. When we add the financing needs to regenerate the network, the acquisition of new equipment, this implies investments. We will have to buy new cars, both for Intercités, night trains and TGVs. Then there is the question of “railway stars”: we must develop metropolitan trains, as in Île-de-France, to mesh the territory of large cities. It is essential for employment, for training, for the mobility of people. And then you have to increase the “furrows” [créneaux horaires sur lequel un train a l’autorisation de circuler]. There is a lack of furrows on the coastlines, Marseille-Nice and Montpellier-Perpignan.
How can I reduce ticket prices?
Supply needs to be increased. Only then will we be able to ensure that there are enough tickets for people to pay less… Some trains are in high demand: this is the case for the regional lines between Nantes and Bordeaux, or from Strasbourg to the Côte-d’Azur, without going through Paris. These links are not numerous enough.