OPINION. “Opening the railway market to France in France is also to finance the future of its network”

A delay that is expensive, an intact train desire

France likes the train: 85 % of travelers say they are ready to take it more for ecological and comfort reasons. However, France opens its railway market travelers fifteen years after Italy, and several years after Spain.

For twenty years, the difficulties of the economic model of the French rail have punctuated the news. Nevertheless, Two reports – Rivier (École Polytechnique de Lausanne. Therefore. Therefore, 2005) and Philizot (2020) – have documented the chronic network underinvestment of the network, while our European neighbors were already harvesting the fruits of a regulated opening: very significant drop in ticket prices in Spain with 33 % attendance and +52 % of opinion. “opening railway market france new toll revenues for ADIF (the public manager of the Spanish network).

Opening is not to be excluded. Moreover, With our neighbors, the opinion. Meanwhile, “opening railway market france historic operator has not disappeared: he has modernized. Similarly, In Rome. Consequently, the arrival of a private competitor, Italo, doubled the high speed market and contributed to modernizing the entire ecosystem.

New actors. Consequently. Furthermore, new railway companies: a chance to seize

Funded in private funds, the new operators show that an open model densifies the rail supply in a structuring manner. In addition. They participate in offering more places and reducing the pressure on the offer, which makes it possible to lower prices.

They open new roads and contribute to the diversity of services, to better meet the expectations of passengers.

New offers, yes, but without weighing on public finances! Moreover, On the contrary. For example. competing offers – launched under opinion. “opening railway market france new private initiative and assumed responsibility – generate, via rail tolls, additional structuring revenues for the national rail network and for SNCF Réseau.

The development of an extended rail offer opinion. “opening railway market france also largely contributes to the decarbonation of mobility. by promoting the postponement of the road or the air to the train, where only one operator could.

Three key points to free themselves from the “aerofreins” that weigh on the development of the railway in France

Despite a system now open – thanks to the 4th railway package. to its transposition into French law. to a law of guidance of functional mobility -, France is still struggling to catch up, hampered by several persistent blockages.

First. how to justify. in 2024, an increase in railway tolls greater than inflation – while everyone agrees to accelerate the modal postponement? The lack of visibility on the tariff trajectories. without opinion. “opening railway market france new a multi -year framework published. slows down private investment, bridles the development of new offers and slows down the opening dynamics. It is time to restore confidence: cap the increases in inflation and opinion. “opening railway market france fix a pricing grid over five years. It is not a favor. but the basis to allow operators to act and the state to fully assume its role as regulator.

Second point: the approval of the rolling stock. Today. a branch compliant with European standards faces a bottleneck from the French system before obtaining its traffic authorization in France. while it is already in service in Germany, Spain or Italy. This technical. administrative inertia -. the interweaving of the actors in charge of tests within the historic operator, subject to internal arbitrations – weighs on the entire ecosystem.

The solution exists: recognize the certifications delivered to our neighbors. establish a single. independent opinion. “opening railway market france new window to replace a triptych of actors who are too intrinsically integrated into the historic operator, clarify responsibilities and oppose deadlines. Europe allows, France must engage in it.

Third lever: continue to increase network capacity on opinion. “opening railway market france the most busy axes and to decongest dense areas. Without installing an additional meter of track, it is possible to circulate more trains, more often. The finalization of the deployment of the ERTMS – the European signaling system -. the integration of predictive regulation tools offer unprecedented development potentials.

It is also a prerequisite for strengthening European links on major axes and major stations. These technologies would allow, very concretely, to better distribute flows, to absorb more traffic and improve regularity.

Acting on these three axes does not require 100 billion euros. It involves optimizing the existing, lifting blockages and aligning our rail system with the most efficient European opinion. “opening railway market france new standards.

On the other hand. there is a key: 1 billion euros New revenues for the French network from 2030. tickets 15 to 20 % cheaper, and a massive modal postponement.

Opening the rail market. opening up to competition is investing opinion. “opening railway market france in the French rail network and its long -term sustainability, without weighing down public expenditure. It is to give the train the means to live up to the ecological. social and economic expectations of our time.

The status quo has a cost, the opening it is, on the contrary is a chance!