Rail traffic along the Madrid-Irún line, which connects the Spanish capital to France and is part of the TEN-T Atlantic Corridor, has been halted since 8 May due to a damaged tunnel. The line was supposed to reopen on Monday 20 May, but new information says this will not happen before Saturday 25 May. This…
Category: France
Spain launches reopening feasibility study for trans-Pyrenees railway
The Spanish transport ministry is putting out a tender for a feasibility study for the reopening of the Pau-Canfranc rail line between France and Spain, as well as a direct connection of the line with the Mediterranean Corridor. The study is supposed to research the effect of the infrastructure plans on the circulation of goods…
SNCF chief to step down amid retirement deal controversy
Jean-Pierre Farandou, the current chief of the French railway holding SNCF, will step down on 13 May. However, he will maintain his position until a successor is named, which will be after the Paris Olympic Games coming this summer. Farandou has been under the spotlight over the past couple of days after France’s Finance and…
French Minister to summon SNCF chief over early retirement deal
France’s Finance and Economic Affairs minister, Bruno Le Maire, is to summon SNCF chief, Jean-Pierre Farandou, to a meeting to explain the signing of an ‘early retirement’ agreement with the four main labour unions at the state railways which he believes circumvents a 2023 French reform law. The agreement, signed at the end of last…
French Minister to summon SNCF chief over early retirement deal
France’s Finance and Economic Affairs minister, Bruno Le Maire, is to summon SNCF chief, Jean-Pierre Farandou, to a meeting to explain the signing of an ‘early retirement’ agreement with the four main labour unions at the state railways which he believes circumvents a 2023 French reform law. The agreement, signed at the end of last…
French region eyes six-fold increase in rail freight via targeted investment
France’s Brittany region plans to increase its rail freight traffic six-fold by 2050, reaching nine million tonnes of goods transported. To achieve this, the regional public authority, the French State and rail network manager SNCF Réseau are implementing a multi-year investment programme until 2027, totalling 64 million euros. It compares to a previous rail freight…
Open Modal commission state-of-the-art combi terminal near Marseille
France’s Open Modal Group has announced the commissioning of a state-of-the-art intermodal terminal for swap bodies and containers in Miramas, on the outskirts of Marseille. The terminal has attracted public and private investment estimated at almost 40 million euros. “The Terminal Ouest Provence (TOP Terminal) is the fruit of five years of hard work, commented…