Priority to rail, by releasing tens of billions of euros: Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne wants long-term programming for the most carbon-free transport infrastructure possible, with renovated networks and RER around major cities.
Putting an end to months of hesitation due in particular to the reluctance of the Ministry of the Economy, Ms Borne announced on Friday a plan of 100 billion euros by 2040 for rail transport which, according to her services, must add to the sums already committed.
Concretely, the State will start by adding 1.5 billion euros per year to current budgets by the end of the five-year term “to put an end to the aging of the network and modernize it”. In particular, it involves replacing the railway tracks, renewing the signaling and digitizing the signal boxes.
“We must invest in the development of the network”, also indicated Ms. Borne. “Beyond the continuation of new line projects and the relaunch of night trains, this will involve the deployment of metropolitan RERs.”
Key elements of this “new railway deal” which will also concern freight, these “Regional Express Networks”, named after the RER Ile-de-France, must be deployed around a dozen large cities, such as Strasbourg, Bordeaux or Grenoble.
The Société du Grand Paris (SGP) must work in tandem with SNCF Réseau to design them, and will start in March by speaking with the regions and the metropolises.
Elisabeth Borne does not only consider suburban trains. She wants to “build complete transport networks for the French”.
“It is when our fellow citizens can find regular, easily accessible and reliable public transport that they will be able to reduce their use of the car,” she explained.
Satisfaction, of course, for the CEO of SNCF Jean-Pierre Farandou, who had been pleading for months for the railway to obtain these 100 billion.
“This new deal for low-carbon intermodal mobility with rail as its backbone presented this morning by the Prime Minister is excellent news for the French, travelers, shippers and territories,” he said.
France Nature Environnement sees “a big step in the right direction”. The Climate Action Network hailed “good news for the train”, but calls for “a global and coherent end-to-end mobility policy”.
At the same time, the government wants to develop car sharing, carpooling, cycling… to “allow everyone to have access to clean transport, adapted to their situation”.
Elisabeth Borne’s objective is to have in June a precise planning of transport infrastructure investments, all modes combined.
A dialogue should begin in March with the regions and partners concerned to agree on the projects to be retained, and the timetable.
This work will be based on a report from the Infrastructure Orientation Council (COI) – a college of elected officials and experts chaired by the (radical) deputy of the Vosges David Valence –, delivered Friday to Ms. Borne.
The head of government intends to take as a basis, among her proposals, the so-called “ecological planning” scenario, which envisages a sharp increase in current budgets.
Giving priority to the modernization of the rail network and everyday transport, the scenario also wants to emphasize the renovation of roads and waterways. He suggests taking his time to build certain high-speed lines and invites us to think twice before building new roads.
The report of the COI is in this respect “a starting point” and the programming of the various projects will depend on the discussions with the communities, one insists in Matignon.
Elisabeth Borne also intends to find “additional resources” to finance infrastructure.
“We also want to involve the sectors that emit the most greenhouse gases, such as the airline industry, and those that generate significant profits, such as motorway companies,” she warned. And for these, the government may not wait for the end of their concessions in the 2030s, the Minister Delegate for Transport Clément Beaune told AFP.
This declaration provoked the “stupor” of the Union of Autonomous Airlines (Scara). “This eco-contribution, we have already been doing it since 2020”, reacted its president Jean-François Dominiak. Levied on all tickets departing from France, it represents 250 million euros per year, he sighed.
02/24/2023 17:58:33 – Paris (AFP) – © 2023 AFP