The French railway system can be viewed as a double-edged sword: one side showcases its strengths, while the other highlights the lingering shortcomings. In the broader picture of a European rail sector strained by network modernization efforts, SNCF Réseau stands out as a European reference point for the methods and efficiency with which it manages line upgrades, thanks to its well-established Suite Rapide program.
However, on the flip side of this coin lies a significant delay in adapting the network to intermodal transport without gauge restrictions. In this respect, France lags behind the rest of Europe in adopting the P400 profile on its national lines, the gauge that allows the transport of four-meter-high road semi-trailers. The stakes are high, as these delays undermine the goal of tripling intermodal rail traffic by 2030 compared to current levels.
Faced with a political class that has shown little responsiveness on these issues, operators waste no opportunity to raise their voices, demanding faster investment plans from network operator SNCF Réseau. Leading the charge is the Groupement National des Transports Combinés, a professional organization representing the entire combined transport sector in France, working closely with Alliance 4F (Fret Ferroviaire Français du Futur), which brings together all freight rail stakeholders to identify the measures necessary to revive the sector in France.
Despite these challenges, the overall outlook for the sector appears far from dire. After 2023, a year marked by a 15% decline in rail volumes, 2024 is shaping up to follow a new positive trend. In the first quarter alone, there was an 18% increase, regaining lost ground from the previous year, which had been disrupted by staff strikes and line closures, including the Maurienne line (Lyon-Modane) due to a landslide.
While intermodal transport is facing a relatively promising scenario, it remains heavily dependent on public policies that continue to support it, particularly through incentives for modal shifts towards rail. SNCF Réseau, for its part, reiterates its commitment to improving service quality, with the network operator’s figures backing up this claim. By the summer of 2024, 89% of freight paths allocated to operators had been confirmed, a significant improvement of nearly twenty percentage points since 2013. The "path adequacy rate," which measures how well what is offered matches the operators' initial requests, rose from 70% to 78%, although it remained at 75% for combined transport.
Overall, SNCF Réseau has increased its freight path offering by 11%. Regarding punctuality, the company reports that 78% of freight trains run on time (a delay of up to 15 minutes is considered acceptable), a result notably better than Germany (60%) or Belgium (65%).
But the ambitions don’t end there. France is set to take a major step forward in rail freight transport with the Ulysse Fret program, an initiative aimed at strengthening the sector with a €4 billion investment by 2032. Announced in May 2023 by then Transport Minister Clément Beaune, and financed half by the French government, the program is expected to deliver an action plan in September 2024, outlining priorities and launching projects to improve the rail infrastructure for freight transport. Operators hope that the investments will include the long-awaited upgrades to the gauge across the network.
Piermario Curti Sacchi
