Aware of “transient but real discontent”, the vice-president of the regional council of Burgundy-Franche-Comté Michel Neugnot warned that the modernization of the rail network will cause some inconvenience to travelers. This Tuesday, January 12, the regional elected representative also spoke of the alternatives linked to uncirculated lines becoming greenways or vélorails.
Of the 423 million euros of rail network modernization work undertaken in 2021 by SNCF Réseau, 173 million euros correspond to cofinancing from the European Union, the State and the Region. Some works are co-financed under the 2021-2027 State-Region planting contract (CPER).
On January 12, 2021, the vice-president of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté regional council, notably in charge of transport, Michel Neugnot (PS), took advantage of the presentation of the 250 SNCF Réseau worksites to underline “a break with the past” in the definition of work financed by the CPER by preferably retaining “maturing operations” (read our article on the CPER 2021-2027). This induces an “acceleration” of financing and therefore an implementation in 2021 and 2022 of projects planned for a long time.
“We are currently working for the aftermath, ie 2023-2027 where there is work being done to see what will be a priority” explains Michel Neugnot. Studies will be undertaken in order to use funds from France Relance for achievements from 2023. This should bring “clarity” to the successive work with “local elected officials of the railway lines” insists the elected regional.
Work that could cause discontent among travelers
“This mass of work, in 2021, you should know that in terms of operation, there will be as many conflicts as we are going to have with regular travelers” anticipates Michel Neugnot, “the more work there is, the more there will be periods when the trains will not run at all ”.
SNCF Réseau is indeed considering certain phases of night work to limit the influence on the timing of passenger trains. Nevertheless, some sites induce closures sometimes over a weekend, sometimes over several days. Users are then warned in advance and alternatives are offered. This also applies to interventions in stations such as accessibility.
“It will be a temporary but real discontent of some of the users” foresees the regional elected representative who makes it a political question “in the noble sense of the term”. “How do we make people understand that, in order for there to be good quality trains, we improve over time?” he asks.
The Mobility Orientation Law provided a response by creating mobility basins which allow dialogue between the Region, local elected representatives and local actors. There are 21 in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. “We must use these spaces for dialogue to make people understand that the train is complex, it takes time and you can anticipate it” summarizes the vice-president of transport.
“As much we accept, on the highway, to do 20 kilometers on a single track behind guys who never go fast enough because you have paid to go fast, while for the train, it is not tolerated” quips. Michel Neugnot who hastens to add that “the State, the Region, the SNCF, we have a duty to explain, to simplify a complex system”.
A future home-worker TER subscription
“The Covid crisis is re-examining the entire railway economic model,” notes Michel Neugnot, seeing a drop in passenger numbers both on TGV lines and on TER journeys. “After the Covid, we can clearly see that the transport consumption habits of our fellow citizens will be, for a certain time, totally different,” he analyzes.
The TGV is the most affected by the virtual cessation of business travel in first class, which largely contributed to SNCF Mobilités margins. No more trips to get from Marseille to Paris for a few hours of physical meeting.
In 2019, the 570 daily TERs in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté carried an average of 62,000 travelers. To date, attendance has fallen to 25,000 travelers per day, using the same counting methods as in 2019. That is a 60% drop in attendance. As a result, the Region, the mobility management authority, reduced the offer to 400 trains per day, or 30% less. This adaptation of the offer has led to numerous protests from users.
“When the Covid is completely behind us, (…) two to three years later, we can return to normal” anticipates the vice-president of transport. Nevertheless, “we will have to adapt completely because the phenomenon of home-working will modify demand,” he adds.
Hence a change in subscriptions. The Region has already launched an additional service on the annual subscription for unlimited travel on weekends on the entire TER network of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté (read the press release). In 2021, a home-worker subscription will be offered for regular users who only travel two or three days a week on the same route.
Conversion of uncirculated lines
The issue of uncirculated lines, that is to say lines that are no longer used by commercial trains, concerns the Region in the context of the organization of mobility. “It is a space that is available and the reflection that we carried out with SNCF Réseau during 2020 should allow us (…) to pose the problem of the future of uncirculated lines” points out Michel Neugnot.
It is therefore a heritage of 693 kilometers, the maintenance of which is valued annually at 500,000 euros. SNCF Réseau therefore aspires to enhance these tracks while reducing maintenance costs. Alternative mobility projects can be developed by municipalities or inter-municipal authorities: greenways, vélorails, tourist trains, cycle paths, etc.
SNCF Réseau plans to make land available through a Management Transfer Agreement (CTG) of up to 25 years. During this period, the managing authority develops the right-of-way according to its project and does not pay any royalties. SNCF Réseau retains ownership of lines that could find commercial use in the post-oil world.
Several development projects have already been carried out in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, such as the greenway between Lure and Villersexel, in Haute-Saône, or the Vingeanne (Côte-d’Or) and Cordesse (Saône-et) vélorails -Loire). In 2021, development projects concern 57 kilometers of uncirculated lines.
Jean-Christophe Tardivon
SNCF Réseau is investing 423 million euros for the modernization of the railway in 2021
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