The Clermont-Paris train did not make a “leap into modernity”

This is an expression often used by President Emmanuel Macron: he wants to accompany France and Europe towards modernity. He said this again during his speech on Europe at the Sorbonne on April 24. A collective of users of the Clermont-Paris train took advantage of this to demand a meeting with the head of state and said the “damned” Paris-Clermont train line was finally making a “leap into modernity.”

A petition launched last year asking for services between Paris and Clermont to run at 2 hours 30 minutes instead of the incident-free 3 hours 24 minutes has just passed 12,000 signatures. “We know when we leave, but we never know when we arrive,” complains Louise, who regularly travels to work on the train.

The team notes that the trip to Strasbourg (491 km) or Lyon (466 km) takes about two hours, which, however, are further from Paris than Clermont-Ferrand (348 km).

The latest warning comes after SNCF said at the end of April that the new Oxygène trains, intended to replace the aging Intercités, would not be delivered until 2027 for the first of twelve trains on order. “At first we were told about 2025-2026, that’s two years behind,” squeaks Stephanie Picard, representative of the collective and municipal councilor in Vic-le-Comte (Puy-de-Dôme).

Following a serious incident in mid-January, passengers including Stephanie Picard spent the night on the train. SNCF has since launched a €40 million emergency plan in February. “Installing an emergency locomotive at the Nevers halfway point since March is good, but it does not solve the whole problem,” said Stephanie Picard, who hopes for a meeting at the Elysee Palace.