Region threatens to close train lines over energy costs

And if some TER were soon no longer driving in the Grand-Est? The story is not there but the threat emanates from the president of the Regional Council Jean Rottner. The elected Les Républicains (LR) has warned that French regions will be forced to “close the railway lines” if the State passes on the soaring electricity prices to them. “From 2024, an additional 8% toll will be applied to the regions,” he said Thursday in Strasbourg. “There, we say stop, we can’t”.

Transport Minister Clément Beaune indicated last month that the State was not considering a priori aid for the regions, which are contracted to cover the increase in energy prices for the public transport they organize, like the TERs.

“Many regional presidents are saying that if at some point there is not some form of questioning of the system […]we are going to our loss, that is to say that we are going to close the lines, clearly, ”noted Mr. Rottner.

An electricity bill that will explode

SNCF President Jean-Pierre Farandou estimated last month the additional cost of the electricity bill between 1.6 and 1.7 billion euros in 2023. Half of this additional cost is attributable to regional trains.

However, Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne, when she was Minister of Transport, demanded in 2018 that SNCF Réseau, the manager of French railways, return to positive cash generation from 2024.

Mr. Rottner also indicated that his region was going to “start paying again” what it owed to the SCNF, after announcing last April a suspension of payments for the operation of the TER network. The regional president then denounced “dysfunctions” in the service. “There are a number of improvements that have been made” since then, he said.