This is a sad record, widely criticized by defenders of the train as a solution to decarbonize transport. Rail tolls, which transport companies (such as SNCF Voyageurs) pay to use the rails, are among the highest in Europe, on a train-kilometer basis. This has a direct impact on the price of TGV tickets, which are not subsidized, and on the finances of the regions which cover most of the cost of TER.
At the request of the regions, the Minister of Transport, Clément Beaune, and that of Finance, Bruno Le Maire, have just mandated the Finance Inspectorate and the General Inspectorate of the Environment and Sustainable Development (which depends on the Ministry of the ecological transition) so that they look at whether a reduction in the price of tolls – and therefore of train tickets – would make it possible to increase attendance sufficiently for ticketing revenue to compensate for that of tolls. Two conditions are necessary for this: that the reduction in costs is such that there are more frequent and better filled trains. If this were the conclusion, the way would be open for a reduction in ticket prices.
This argument is often put forward by Roberto Rinaudo, the president of Trenitalia France, competitor of SNCF on the Paris-Lyon route. It is based on the Italian precedent: the reduction in toll prices saved the companies after the opening to competition, and caused a real modal shift. This argument is also raised by Carole Delga, president of the Occitanie region, who observed that the increase in the occupancy rate of trains compensated for the loss of revenue when it charges fares of 1 euro in the TER.
Provide “pathways for development”
“The development of rail transport is imperative to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and successfully decarbonize the transport sectorunderlines the Ministry of Transport. The pricing of the rail network is the subject of recurring criticism, which needs to be objectiveized, in particular for passenger transport. The aim of this mission is therefore to re-examine the cost of tolls, to study its structure and its evolution in comparison with our European neighbors. »
It is this high price of tolls – which are invoiced by SNCF Réseau for each train – which has led the railway company to favor double-decker trains and to double them: this ultimately reduces the price paid reported to the passenger .
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