French transport secretary Alain Vidal has announced plans to sell off all but two sleeper train services as the government continues to weigh up its options to save the country’s struggling intercity rail routes.
Vidal announced on February 19 that the government is to stop funding the majority of its loss-making sleeper services, keeping just the Paris-Briançon and Paris-Rodez / Latour de Carol routes.
The government plans to seek expressions of interest from private operators later this year. An announcement will be made in July as to the future of the services.
In the announcement, Vidal also confirmed an investment of around €1.5 billion in new rolling stock for the Paris-Limoges-Toulouse, Bordeaux-Marseille, Paris-Clermont Ferrand and Paris-Cherbourg routes, describing the need for new vehicles as “urgent”.
A tender will be launched this year for the first three lines, with new trains scheduled to arrive in 2020.
For the Paris-Cherbourg route, SNCF and the state have the option to procure new double-deck coaches under an existing contract with Bombardier. Another 30 trains will be ordered as part of an ongoing agreement between SNCF and Alstom on top of 34 units already on order.
Last summer, the French government announcement a programme of investment in rolling stock and infrastructure to turn around the fortunes of Trains d’équilibre du territoire (TET) long-distance services, which have seen patronage decline by around 20 per cent since 2011.
Without intervention, the service’s operating deficit could rise to €450 million by 2016, the government said last year. Sleeper services represent around 25 per cent of the deficit but only 3 per cent of total passengers, with each ticket sold requiring, on average, more than €100 from the public purse.
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