Elisabeth Borne favorable to an investment plan of 100 billion euros for rail by 2040

The amount of investments envisaged by the State corresponds to the median scenario proposed by the Infrastructure Orientation Council, which must render a report to the Prime Minister on Friday.

MO12345LOND With AFP

Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne will announce, on the occasion of the delivery of the Board of Orientation of Infrastructure (COI), Friday, February 24, the government’s ambition to devote 100 billion euros in investments By 2040 for rail transport, according to information communicated by Matignon to the France-Presse agency.

The amount announced, which corresponds to the estimation of the needs launched by the CEO of SNCF Jean-Pierre Farandou (it envisaged this expense over fifteen years) would not be, if the CIO scenario is followed by the government, Only deducted from the state budget but shared with local authorities and operators. The government wants to have a precise planning of transport infrastructure investments by June, after having discussed it with the regions and partners concerned.

prioritizing the modernization of the rail network and daily transport, the scenario also wants to focus on the renovation of roads and waterways, but excludes the rapid realization of “structuring projects much awaited by some , (…) Roads or highway “, according to a quasi-define version published by the information site Context in January. It provides for a clear increase in the means identified by the State, from 2023 and until 2042. The invoice would be 84.3 billion euros over the period 2023-2027.

One of the first concretizations of this rebalancing of the State’s engagement in the train compared to other mobility would, according to the same source, the launch of “metropolitan RER” in the major French cities, that Emmanuel Macron said he wished in November during a video published on YouTube. The announcement had surprised elected officials and local authorities, which had not been associated with consultations before this announcement of the President of the Republic.

/Media reports cited above.