As the French rail industry prepares for a minor revolution - with the opening up of the sector to competition - the Ministry of Transport is examining the expectations of the general public with the launch of the Assises nationales du rail. With this in mind, the publication of an Ifop survey carried out at the end of August provides an opportunity to take the temperature of a rather optimistic clientele. 71% of those questioned predict that this opening up of the market should lead to lower fares, and the same proportion of passengers (70%) expect a better quality of service. Punctuality should also be improved, according to passengers (64%), who are more cautious about improvements in terms of safety.
