{"id":24811,"date":"2024-04-04T18:20:31","date_gmt":"2024-04-04T08:20:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.railfreight.com\/?p=51329"},"modified":"2024-04-04T18:20:31","modified_gmt":"2024-04-04T08:20:31","slug":"french-first-and-last-mile-operators-need-state-aid-to-survive-frejus-closure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=24811","title":{"rendered":"French first and last-mile operators need state aid to survive Frejus closure"},"content":{"rendered":"

The impact of the closure of the Frejus Railway, the main border crossing between Italy and France, is being felt not only by the rail freight sector. Many first and last-mile companies in France, for example, are asking for state support to remain afloat but the scenario seems to remain gloomy.<\/strong>
\n<\/span>For example, operations at the piggyback platform in Aiton have been halted as there are no freight trains coming in or out, as public French broadcaster FranceBleu mentioned. Here, 22 workers are currently facing uncertainty as technical unemployment expires in July but the railway to Italy won\u2019t reopen before the end of the year.<\/p>\n

What are they asking?<\/h2>\n

Many representatives from first and last-mile companies lamented how they currently have debts of tens of thousands of euros because of the interruption of traffic along the Frejus railway. These operators are asking the French government to implement concrete public aid measures rather than deferral charges. Some companies tried to expand their portfolios by offering to transport goods via road between France and Italy rather than only carrying out first and last-mile operations. However, there are already many operators in this industry that can offer much better prices, especially ones from Eastern Europe.<\/p>\n

The impact of the landslide in Italy<\/h2>\n

The current problem with the Frejus Railway is that a clear reopening date has not been found. The timeline went from a possible reopening this summer to the end of the year, with some concerns that the line might stay closed until 2025<\/a>. Being an important cross-border line, the closure of the Frejus Railway has had a significant impact on the Italian rail freight industry as well. For Italian rail freight operators, the hit might amount to 165 million euros per year<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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The landslide in Saint-Andre\u0301 a\u0300 La Praz. Image: \u00a9 Savoie Region<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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