2023-09-04 05:00:00
A faded red flag blocking a railroad track, green plants flourishing in the middle of the railroad tracks. A simple glance from the footbridge that spans the Hourcade marshalling yard, in Villenave-d’Ornon, offers a curious contrast. On paper, rail freight embodies the future of carbon-free transport.
On the same subject
A faded red flag blocking a railroad track, green plants flourishing in the middle of the railroad tracks. A simple glance from the footbridge that spans the Hourcade marshalling yard, in Villenave-d’Ornon, offers a curious contrast. On paper, rail freight embodies the future of carbon-free transport.
In fact, its vital prognosis, at least in France, is shaky. Manon Aubry, president of the Insoumis group in the European Parliament, and national deputy Loïc Prud’homme intend to put the subject on the agenda. This weekend of September 2 and 3, they met railway workers from the rail freight platform south of Bordeaux. “That’s the whole paradox: rail freight is a priority for the European Union in the face of climate change… but it is absolutely necessary to liquidate Fret SNCF. The dogmatism of sacrosanct competition in all its absurdity,” says the MEP.
“Major consequences”
In fact, the European Commission is threatening France with sanctions for having invested 5.3 billion euros in Fret SNCF between 2007 and 2019. To escape sanctions, the government has embarked on the creation of a new subsidiary. In order not to fall into the “distortion of competition”, it will have to abandon 30% of the traffic and, in passing, cut 500 jobs out of the 5,000 at Fret SNCF.
“It’s a question of priorities and political will”
“The subject is: how we act on the European scene, it is the balance of power that we introduce”, explains Manon Aubry. “Especially since there are exemptions for what countries consider to be a strategic issue. What Germany did not hesitate to do, on rail freight, ”adds Loïc Prud’homme.
“What is certain is that the 30% of which we will be deprived, they will go directly on the road. There will be serious consequences, here, in Angoulême or Perpignan, ”says Manuel Boulet, railway worker, CGT secretary of the Hourcade platform. During the last three decades, he has seen the activity plummet: 1,500 wagons were sorted daily in the 2000s, compared to 200 to 300 wagons today.
Mobilization in October
France ranks at the back of the European pack for rail freight with 9% of goods transported (compared to 88% for road). When the European average is 18% (this is the case of Germany, Austria is 32%). France intends to reach 18% by 2030. “There is talk and reality. The reality is that we are doing everything to put a spoke in our wheels. Look at our station, it’s ”Walking dead”, it’s like being in a zombie movie”, squeaks Christophe Hellies, CGT railway worker.
Of the 68 paths on the Hourcade platform, only about twenty are currently in service. Restoration requires heavy investment. “It’s a question of priority and political will, we must act before reaching the point of no return,” insists Loïc Prud’homme. A mobilization is already scheduled for the beginning of October.
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