Major project until 2040
France is pumping 100 billion into the rail network
2/24/2023, 5:08 p.m
In France, the train is to become a reliable alternative to the car. To this end, substantial investments will be made over the next decade and a half. The money should flow into the infrastructure but also into new connections and the construction of a completely new network.
France wants to modernize its railway network by the end of the next decade with investments of 100 billion euros. The trains should run more frequently, faster and more punctually, Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne announced in Paris. The train should thus become a full alternative to the car and climate protection should be promoted.
In addition to the expansion of existing routes, new lines are also planned. S-Bahn networks are to be created in around a dozen large cities, but the branch lines in the country should also be expanded, said Borne. The greater Paris area should be the pilot project. New underground and tram lines are currently being built around Paris, which will also connect the suburbs with each other. Investments are also to be made in freight transport. The prime minister said that the financial effort to modernize the French railways should be financed with money from the state, the EU and local authorities.
Although France has invested a lot in the expansion of the network of fast TGV trains in recent decades, there are complaints about a modernization backlog on the other routes. Therefore, an additional 1.5 billion euros are to flow into the repair and modernization of the network every year.
The French state railway SNCF presented very good figures for the past year after overcoming the Corona crisis. At 41.5 billion euros, sales were 18 percent above the pre-crisis year 2019, as the company announced. The turnover of the passenger transport division was 3.4 percent above that of 2019 and even the long loss-making freight division brought in money again. The bottom line was a net income of 2.4 billion euros.