France. The Grand Est area evokes line closures.

French areas shall be compelled to “shut the railway traces” if the state passes on the hovering electrical energy costs to them, warned the president of the Grand Est Regional Council, Jean Rottner (LR). The extra price ought to attain between 1.6 and 1.7 billion euros in accordance with the SNCF, half attributable to regional trains.

“From 2024, a further 8% toll shall be utilized to the areas,” stated Mr. Rottner throughout an interview with journalists, earlier than a Thursday session of the Regional Council in Strasbourg. “There, we are saying cease, we won’t”.

Transport Minister Clément Beaune indicated final month that the State was not contemplating a priori support for the areas, that are contracted to cowl the rise in power costs for the general public transport they arrange, just like the TER.

“Many regional presidents are saying that if in some unspecified time in the future there’s not some type of questioning of the system (…), we’re going to our loss, that’s to say that we’re going to shut the traces, clearly,” famous Mr. Rottner.

SNCF President Jean-Pierre Farandou estimated final month the extra price of the electrical energy invoice between 1.6 and 1.7 billion euros in 2023. Half of this extra price is attributable to regional trains.

Nevertheless, Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne, when she was Minister of Transport, demanded in 2018 that SNCF Réseau, the supervisor of French railways, return to constructive money technology from 2024.

Mr. Rottner additionally indicated that his area was going to “begin paying once more” what it owed to the SCNF, after saying final April a suspension of funds for the operation of the TER community. The regional president then denounced “dysfunctions” within the service. “There are a variety of enhancements which have been made” since then, he stated.

TTY