After the programme that gave birth to the TGV forty years ago, a project on the same scale - 100 billion euros - is preparing to revolutionise the French rail industry in the decades to come. No longer at high speed this time, but at the gentle pace of the suburban train or the regional choo-choo. With a series of announcements - the deployment of Regional RER by Emmanuel Macron at the end of 2022, a vast investment plan by Elisabeth Borne in February - the State has shown its determination to make rail the backbone of everyday transport.
The idea was originally put forward by Jean-Pierre Farandou in July 2022, the CEO of SNCF estimating 100 billion euros the investment needed over 15 years to match this ambition. " I'm delighted to see that what was just an intellectual hypothesis a year ago has become a political ambition for France, supported by the government." he told parliamentarians at a hearing at the Assemblée Nationale in early April. Less energy-consuming, with a small footprint - " to carry what an RER carries, we'd have to build 40-lane motorways" The railways are the only way to go on the road to sustainable, low-carbon transport. carbon neutrality by 2050.
The fact remains, however, that in order to establish itself as a real alternative to the private car, the alternative has to exist. Rural areas not served, small lines in disarray : a vast undertaking before the railways penetrate further and deeper into the heart of the regions, where residents have no choice but to take their car to get to the nearest big city or station. Beyond the current TER offer, this ambition requires inventing new solutions, adapted to the operating costs and demand of low-potential lines. These are the 9,000 km or so of small lines for which the current trains are often oversized.
As a result, relaunching this fine service to the region requires us to think differently. " Engineers are being asked to design trains that cost 50% less to build and operate, explained the CEO of SNCF. They are working on it and the prototypes are starting to arrive." . In September 2022, SNCF presented its innovative Light Train projectThe project is being carried out by a consortium of 10 partners, including major industrial groups such as Alstom, Thales and Capgemini, and more specialised SMEs such as Texelis, CAF and Wabtec-Faiveley Transport.
Although it is not due to be put on the rails before 2029, and the study phase is still underway, SNCF recently presented these rethought mobility solutions on its website. Fewer seats (60), an electric motor, lightweight equipment to reduce wear and tear on the track: a number of components should enable this innovative light train to solving the profitability equation on certain short lines. The first light rail trials will be carried out from 2024.
However, for low-traffic lines, this innovative rolling stock will no longer be "light", but "very light", thanks to the "light" concept. Draisywhich is due to be tested on a pilot line in the course of the year. 2025. Intended for lines or segments of lines of less than 100 kilometres, this a kind of rural tramway with 30 seats will run on dedicated lanes. There will also be flexibility of use, with "à la carte" stops.
In terms of flexibility of use, another concept, called Flexygoes even further, and could see the light of day even sooner, as it is due to be tested in the course of the year. 2024. Ultra-light, this train is also ultra-hybrid, as it is a rail-road solution. This 14-seater shuttle can use small railway lines that are closed for lack of passengers, and that's what makes it so original, get off the track. From there, you can take the road to the villages and residential areas along the way. Soft mobility that meets the needs of travellers.
If you don't go to the train, the train will come to you. In a similar vein, the SNCF has been testing the "Ma Course SNCF" initiative in rural areas for over a year. From February 2021 to July 2022, on-demand shared vehicles enabled residents of five communes in the Sarthe region togo shoppingThe service can be booked up to 30 minutes before the required time. Bookable up to 30 minutes before the desired time, 350 journeys were made each month in the first half of 2022, almost half of them to and from the TER station. According to SNCF, " without this service, 20% of customers would not have taken the train. "This solution will also be used during 2024 Olympics providing a link between a transilien station and an Olympic site through the "Ma Course SNCF événements" service.
