As the morning fog clears on Easter Sunday 9th April, Buffaud Robatel 0-3-1T 3714 hurries towards Noyelles with the 11.30 St Valery – Le Crotoy, comprising a set of Swiss ex-BOB coaches.

Paper traffic between Papeteries de Giroux and the CELTA plant at Courpière in Puy-de-Dôme is expected to return to rail by the end of the year. As reported in April News traffic ceased over the 11km section in June 2022 due to the poor condition of the track which failed to meet EPSF  (L'Établissement public de sécurité ferroviaire) standards. At that time Syndicat Ferroviaire du Livradois-Forez (SFLF), owner of the 149km route between Pont-de-Dore and Darsac, did not have the funding to undertake repairs. Following cessation of traffic, the operator Combrail has gone into liquidation. 

Since closure 2,000 truck journeys have been made between the two plants along the winding D906, carrying 38,000 tonnes of paper and cardboard.  

SNLF has now obtained a €400,000 local investment support grant (DSIL) from the State, to which it will add €100,000 from its own funds. This will enable work to be undertaken to replace sleepers and ballast and  improve drainage. Returning this section of track to a compliant standard also reopens opportunities for timber and other freight traffic to use the SNLF network. The re-construction work has been contracted to ETF (a Eurovia subsidiary) starting in June, and is expected to last for three months. Freight services should be running again by the end of the year. 

With Combrail no longer in existence a new operator is expected to be appointed shortly. New rolling stock will be required as the wagons previously used were in poor condition and have been scrapped. We understand that Combrail’s two Pedalos, BB 71015 and BB 71018 seen above in the yard at Giroux in January 2023, have been sold to Chemin de Fer Touristique de la Vendée. Photo: Roger Allen

The new railway is being constructed in three sections. The central 70km cross-border portion including the 57.5km Mont D'Ambin base tunnel is being built  by Tunnel Euralpin Lyon Turin (TELT SAS), while the approach lines are the responsibility of the respective national infrastructure managers SNCF Réseau and RFI. The new approach sections are needed to maintain gradients of no more than 1 in 80 to enable freight to travel at a constant 100 km/h, have wide curves to allow passenger trains to run at 220 km/h, and to carry wider-profile traffic than the existing lines.  

While the recommendation has been well-received by local environmentalists who have always argued that the line is unnecessary, the Région and elected representatives view the position as unacceptable. They argue that delaying the French section will not diminish the high volume of HGV road traffic and the route will be unable to carry large-profile containers throughout. Passenger journey times will only improve marginally if trains still have to be routed through Chambery and the objective of reducing CO2 emissions from air and road travel will not be met. With the line being built under International Treaty, it has been suggested that Italy could be entitled to compensation if there is a significant delay in building the French approach and thus the benefits of the high-speed route are not achieved.

Above. Trenitalia ETR1000 Frecciarossa set No 48 waits time at Modane on 12th April with Train 9292 the 06.25 Milan – Paris. Arrival at Gare de Lyon was on time at 13.22. These services are expected to continue using the existing high level route through Modane for the next ten years. Photo: Ben Pattison

Emphasising how small changes can affect the ranking, the survey’s author Jeremy Hartill points out that whereas JR East’s fastest scheduled runs are unchanged from four years ago, France and Spain have slowed their fastest trains slightly and thus dropped down the ranking. Spain is now in sixth place. 

The survey also covers the next-generation rolling stock fleets under development, including TGV-M currently on trial at Velim test circuit in the Czech Republic. Murray Hughes, author of Rail 300: The World High Speed Train Race, comments: “Maximum speed for TGV-M in commercial service will be 320 km/h, identical to earlier builds of TGV, so little if any change can be expected in the French ranking. On the other hand, the trains are expected to deliver important savings in operating costs for SNCF”.

Introduction of the NG fleet has necessitated replanning of the centre’s maintenance tracks to match the layout of the trains’ onboard equipment, with some new installations required and existing machinery upgraded, plus expansion of the site to 55 Ha for storage sidings to hold 162 trains. Four new entry/exit lines will give easier access from both RER Lines, so that trains entering or finishing service will be less liable to disrupt the timetable. Strengthening of the electric power supply will be required, and an automated depot control system will smooth the path of trains through the various work stages. Amongst strict environmental controls in force, train-washing equipment will recover and reuse 75 per cent of grey water. 

A further €95 million is being provided by the Île-de-France région and the State, towards the total project cost of €685 million. In accordance with the aims of Responsabilité Sociétale des Entreprises, there will be a strong bias towards training and employment of local people. Photo: © SNCF

Elsewhere in Île-de-France, works are being carried out under the regeneration project to overcome years of under-investment. Some projects are being tackled this year, or else deferred, to leave next summer clear for the huge influx of passengers expected during the year's Olympic Games and Paralympics.

On the metro, Line 4 continues to suffer interruptions as automation is rolled out, while construction of extensions to Lines 11 and Line 14 also brings temporary closures.

Owned since 2013 by the Aragón regional government, the building is leased to the Barceló hotel group which has completed its transformation into a luxury hotel with 104 bedrooms. Many of the building’s fine architectural features and elaborate interiors have been retained; one of the restaurants is located in coaches restored to early 20th Century Wagons-Lits style. Total cost of the project is €27 million, of which €12 million was contributed by Aragón for the new station opened in 2021. This relocated the passenger station from the front of the building to the rear, utilising one of the freight transhipment buildings.

In its annual report to the Prime Minister, the Conseil d'Orientation des Infrastructures (COI), a committee of experts and cross-party politicians who advise the government on future rail and road investment, expressed grave concern over the future of the Bordeaux -- Toulouse -- Marseille Intercités service. Over three million passengers a year use the trains, on which the average age of the rolling stock is 44 years and some individual Corail coaches are approaching 50 years old. Locomotives are a mix of BB 7200 introduced over 40 years ago and a handful of BB 26000s built in the early-1990s and cascaded from Paris – Cherbourg services.

The view of the COI is that the current rolling stock will be life-expired by 2027 and the service will need to be reduced or withdrawn if new rolling stock is not available. On the other two locomotive-hauled TET (Trains d'Equilibre du Territoire) services (Paris – Clermont-Ferrand and Paris – Orléans – Limoges – Toulouse POLT), new CAF-built rolling stock will be introduced next year. It had been assumed that trains for Bordeaux – Marseille would be included in the CAF order, and single-deck TGVs have also been proposed for the route.

When asked to comment, SNCF Voyageurs’ response was that TET services are operated on behalf of the State and that future investment is the government’s responsibility. 

Above. On 5th April BB 26036 runs beside the canal at Pompignan with Train 4661 the 12.28 Bordeaux-Saint-Jean – Marseille-Saint-Charles. Photo: Georges Turpin

With the recent social conflict and industrial action at oil refineries and fuel depots, fuel trains have become a rare sight, but on 23rd March E 37516 was captured passing the Canal des Deux Mers at Pompignan with Europorte train 418512 Saint-Jory -- Bassens. Entering service in 2008 for CBRail, subsequently taken over by Akiem, E37516 has been leased by Europorte since 2011. Photo Georges Turpin