Government promises a Paris night train in Dax, Bayonne and Pau from 2024

The secretary of state in charge of ecology, Bérangère Couillard, also confirmed Tuesday that a night train would again connect Paris to Aurillac at the end ]

The government intends to circulate again, from 2024, a daily night train between Paris, Bordeaux, Dax, Bayonne, Orthez and Pau, announced, Tuesday, October 25, the secretary of state in charge of the Ecology, Bérangère Couillard. Responding to the Senate to a question from Max Brisson (Les Républicains, Pyrénées-Atlantiques), M Me confirmed that a night train would again connect Paris to Aurillac at the end of 2023.

“From 2024, the night train will serve Dax, Bayonne, Orthez and Pau daily, in addition to Lourdes and Tarbes,” she added. This route by Bordeaux would resuscitate the “blue pelomb”, a night connection deleted in 2011.

of decisions expected on the future network

The State reopened in 2021 the Paris-Nice and Paris-Tarbes-Lerdes links by Toulouse, this final line being extended in the summer to the Basque coast. He also financed the renovation of the old existing cars of the Paris-Rodez-Latour-de-Carol-Cerbère and Paris-Briançon lines, which had survived the abolition of almost all night trains.

m me couillard also said:

“Decisions must soon be made on the consistency of the future night trains network, the renewal of rolling stock, the methods of financing, with a prospect of opening up the exploitation of here to a few years. “

In December 2021, the Minister for Transport of the time, Jean-Baptiste Djebbari, had announced the creation by 2030 new lines connecting Paris to Albi, Bayonne and Saint-Sébastien, in the Spanish Basque Country, Barcelona and also Toulouse, Montpellier and Marseille. He had added the Metz-Genève, Nice-Barcelona-Bordeaux and Bordeaux-Nice connections.

Night trains, which are part of the “territory balance trains” (TET, more commonly known as intercités), are subsidized by the State and exploited by the SNCF pending their competition. The latter made no comments.

/Media reports.