The need for social distancing has resulted in  TGV's  running at 50% capacity and Transilien at 20%. Passengers need to have a legitimate reason to travel with police checking attestations at major stations.

When services on preserved lines are allow to open the Societies have asked the Government to impose no additional conditions than those applied to public transport. Even so income will be constrained as social distancing will reduce capacity and require additional staff to manage passengers. To ensure passenger numbers do not exceed capacity, tickets are likely to be limited to internet sales. All of this assumes that visitors will return to tourist lines this year.

In 1928, a rail route from Pau to Sarragosse(Aragon) was opened directly across the central Pyrenean mountains. In France, the new railway line started at Pau (177m) and reached Oloron in 1883. It continued into the narrow Aspe valley and reached Bedous (220m) in 1914. The first 60 km of the line had been relatively straightforward to construct with gradients of 1 in 50. After Bedous, the gradients became challenging, 1 in 30 to Urdos and 1 in 23 for the final 7 km to the summit tunnel at Somport. The rail tunnel is 7.8 km long, single track, and it emerges into the head of the Aragon valley at the Spanish village of Canfranc (1195m). Along the steep section of 23 km from Bedous to the entrance of the Somport tunnel, there were 14 tunnels (including one spiral tunnel) and 4 bridges. Due to the stiff gradients, the line in France was electrified at 1500 volts with 3 sub stations from the opening of the line. 

50 years later 

 Unexpectedly, in 2006, Aragon Region resolved to renovate the former Batiment Voyageur (BV) and revive Canfranc village. In 2013, Aragon Region purchased the monumental terminus and accelerated a programme to re-develop the station site at Canfranc. A new station is being constructed and will open in 2020. The former BV is being converted into a luxury hotel and a museum with a railway theme. The project is expected to be completed in 2021. The political leaders of Aragon Region in Spain and Nouvelle Aquitaine Region in France have resolved to re-open the rail route between Pau and Sarragosse. But there no support from central governments or SNCF. Next month we will examine the features of the projects to re-open Bedous - Canfranc and judge if they are likely to succeed.

 For the first 100 years of its existence the station was obviously quite busy as seen in the old postcard view above. There was a water tower, a large goods shed and sidings and no doubt facilities for loading grain. In 2007, only the empty "batiment voyageurs" remained on the site, dominated by grain storage towers. 

 In February 2020, the BV was demolished and nothing remains of this station but two empty platforms for an occasional TER (Bourges - Nevers). This sad story was first disclosed in Massif Central Ferroviaire a recommended data base of French Rail infrastructure.

 The multiple administrative levels (State, Region, département, commune) are detrimental to efficiency and contribute to delays. From the date of concept to date of opening of a new tram line, 12 - 15 years can elapse, sometimes up to 20 years ! It represents up to 4 cycles of local elections, each 5 year cycle presents the risk of political interference in previously approved projects. Currently, the extensions of T1 east and west and the extension of T7 to Juvisy are delayed by local political objections. 

 Terminology has been simplified. All light rail systems in Ile de France are now called "Tram". The use of "tram-train" or "tangentielle" is abandoned. All the lines are numbered in approximate chronological order of opening dates.