the Grand Est area evokes line closures

French areas will probably be pressured to “shut the railway strains” if the state passes on the hovering electrical energy costs to them, warned the president of the Grand Est Regional Council, Jean Rottner (LR).

“From 2024, a further 8% toll will probably be utilized to the areas,” stated Rottner in 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 assist for the areas, that are contracted to cowl the rise in vitality costs for the general public transport they manage, just like the TER.

“Many regional presidents are saying that if sooner or later 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 strains, 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.

Nonetheless, Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne, when she was Minister of Transport, demanded in 2018 that SNCF Réseau, the supervisor of French railways, return to optimistic money era 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 selection of enhancements which were made” since then, he stated.

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