Jean-François Fountaine, the mayor of La Rochelle wrote to the direction of the SNCF. He asks him that the supply of trains with Paris be restored in the spring and that “the promise of 2H25 be kept”.
The news is regularly peppered with rants from local elected officials who are dissatisfied with the rail service in their city or region. The latest comes from the mayor of La Rochelle who complains that there are too few TGVs and not as fast as promised.
In a letter addressed to Jean-Pierre Farandou, the president of SNCF, Jean-François Fountaine denounces “a significant drop in the number of services” with Paris and he asks that the level of the pre-pandemic supply be restored.
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“Today we have two worries” argues the mayor of La Rochelle, “trains take the same time as 30 years ago, that is to say 3 hours when we were promised connections with the capital in less than 2h30. And the offer is not sufficient, the trains are crowded. You have to go very far in advance to get a ticket”.
Jean-François Fountaine, who defends himself against any lawsuit against the SNCF, affirms that the degradation of services began with the pandemic, “but at present, the inhabitants of the territory, businesses and visitors are waiting for an improved service” he writes.
Arguing of a global envelope of 40 million euros paid by the urban community to the SNCF to which is added the 30 million of the station site, the elected official says to wait “Efforts to restore the train service as early as spring and that the promise of 2h25 is kept” to allow “a suitable round trip during the day from Paris as from La Rochelle”.
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“I agree that the plane is not the right way to reach the capital, but the supply of trains must still be sufficient in number and in travel time” he says again.
To these criticisms, the direction of the SNCF, contacted by our editorial staff, answer point by point. Regarding the frequency of services, it ensures that “95% of the entire TGV La Rochelle – Paris offer is insured while attendance is down 15% compared to the situation before the health crisis.”
To the “crowded” trains mentioned by the mayor, the SNCF opposes occupancy rates “low, about 2/3 full”. “In the coming months, we will continue to adapt our offer according to the level of attendance observed, hoping that the resumption of travel will be confirmed despite a health context which remains uncertain today. specifies the operator.
Finally, as to the increase in journey times, the SNCF is justified by the addition of stops at the Poitiers station in particular and the works between Poitiers and La Rochelle. It also ensures that the offer has been reinforced by 7,000 additional places during the holidays on the Paris-La Rochelle link.
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