Qjust a few months after the announcement of the creation of a “rail pass” allowing everyone to travel all year round for €49 per month on the TER and Intercités network, the new Minister of Transport, Patrice Vergriete, announced on the 7th March a much less ambitious version of the device.
Initially intended for everyone, without income or age conditions, the new pass is aimed only at young people for a limited period in the summer of 2024, a far cry from the initial ambition of facilitating access to the train for all. French and to carry out a massive modal shift from road to train to reduce CO emissions2 daily transportation. As one might expect, the “pass rail” died.
Because even if the initial ambition to encourage the use of the train is laudable, this system as it was imagined was difficult to finance. Above all, it did not respond to the long-term challenges of rail transport. This is above all a diagnostic error. By reducing the cost of transport, we create demand.
But the demand is already there. There is a desire for trains in France and the figures prove it: 11 million travelers in 2023 in the Intercités, an increase of 4.5% over one year. The same goes for the TER, with an increase in attendance of 8%. Reducing the cost without increasing the number of seats in sufficient proportion means taking the risk of saturating certain lines, several of which are already under tension.
A new, more realistic but more limited pass
Contrary to popular belief, price is not the primary obstacle to the use of everyday transport (urban transport, RER, TER). Opinion surveys show it: travelers expect more frequency and better service to the territories. The price is a barrier to long-distance transport, in particular the TGV, which, remember, is not included in the “rail pass” project.
Then, the implementation of such a system requires convincing the twelve metropolitan regions to join the project. However, the regions are autonomous in defining their regional transport offer and the associated pricing policy. Most of them already offer offers, particularly for young people, the target population of the “rail pass 2.0” presented by Patrice Viergriete.
The interest of the new pass, even if it is more realistic than its first version, is therefore limited. In any case, bringing together all regions with different political sensitivities is a complex task that has been underestimated from the start. Another complexity: financing such a system is impossible without significant support from the State, and therefore from the taxpayer.
You have 51.46% of this article left to read. The rest is reserved for subscribers.