{"id":174717,"date":"2025-02-11T17:40:39","date_gmt":"2025-02-11T07:40:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.railfreight.com\/?p=59702"},"modified":"2025-02-11T17:40:39","modified_gmt":"2025-02-11T07:40:39","slug":"sncf-chief-warns-of-trucks-taking-it-all","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=174717","title":{"rendered":"SNCF chief warns of \u2018trucks taking it all\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

The head of France\u2019s state railways, SNCF chief Jean-Pierre Farandou has warned that, if the modal split between road and rail is not evened up, trucks will strengthen their already dominant position in freight transport. In a document published by French think tank, the Fondation Jean-Jaur\u00e8s, Farandou, set out the challenges facing rail transport, including freight.<\/strong>
\n<\/span>He highlighted that road haulage\u2019s modal share of the freight market in France currently stands at 85 per cent compared to only 10 per cent for rail-borne goods. \u201cIf no measures are taken to rebalance this modal split, then HGVs will take everything, or almost everything, as they do in Italy and Spain. They will take up more capacity on the roads that run through French villages, in parking facilities and on motorways where they already occupy a dedicated lane in an uninterrupted line, to the detriment of private cars.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018Imitate countries with higher rail modal share\u2019<\/h2>\n

He also argued that it would be difficult to build new road infrastructure to accommodate the continued growth in truck traffic. \u201cIf we collectively want to reverse this (modal) trend, we know what needs to be done \u2013 follow the example of European countries where rail’s market share fluctuates between 20 and 35 per cent: grant rail operators operating aid approved by the European Union, invest in capacity infrastructure for goods trains, and make HGVs contribute more to external costs and road wear and tear.\u201d<\/p>\n