{"id":139916,"date":"2024-10-14T20:14:45","date_gmt":"2024-10-14T10:14:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.railfreight.com\/?p=57056"},"modified":"2024-10-14T20:14:45","modified_gmt":"2024-10-14T10:14:45","slug":"is-the-french-100-billion-plan-for-rail-in-jeopardy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=139916","title":{"rendered":"Is the French 100-billion-plan for rail in jeopardy?"},"content":{"rendered":"

A French State programme to invest 100 billion euros in rail transport up until 2040 could hit the buffers as a consequence of State budgetary constraints. Speaking at a conference earlier this week, France\u2019s recently-appointed minister of Transport, Fran\u00e7ois Durovray, explained that the 100 billion euros programme \u201cremains the government’s roadmap\u201d, but underlined that its implementation is \u201cfragile\u201d given the savings that need to be made in the State budget.\u00a0<\/strong>
\n<\/span>Announced by the previous government in February 2023, a major element of the multi-billion, multi-annual plan was the expansion and upgrading of the rail network. \u201cWe have a pressing need to determine sustainable financing methods that will protect all the country’s infrastructures from government budgetary contingencies\u201d, he said. Durovray went on to call for the State’s commitment to rail freight to be \u201csustained and even strengthened\u201d.<\/p>\n

Last week, before a French Parliamentary commission, Jean-Pierre Farandou, the head of the SNCF Group, urged the French government to increase annual aid to the single wagon segment by 30 million euros, for a total of 200 million euros, a promise made by the former Transport minister. Farandou also commented on the upkeep of the rail network, revealing that in 2024, SNCF is spending 1.7 billion euros on its maintenance. He went on to warn that from 2027, an extra 1.5 billion euros a year will be required for network maintenance.<\/p>\n