France: citizens' railroad organized as a cooperative

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jok
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Joined: 3. Apr 2021, 16:07

France: citizens' railroad organized as a cooperative

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In France, a citizens' railroad organized as a cooperative is getting underway, which aims to connect regions neglected by the state railroad SCNCF with its own trains. The Ministry of the Environment in Paris granted the rail company Railcoop the operating permit, as announced on Wednesday. The basis is the December 2020 opening of domestic French passenger train services to competition. As its first service, Railcoop plans to resume offering direct trains on the cross-country route between Lyon and Bordeaux, which was discontinued by SNCF in 2014, from June next year. Other connections from Thionville to Lyon and from Rennes to Toulouse are already being planned.

The aim is to oppose the withdrawal of the railroads from the countryside. In the last ten years, the railroads in France have closed 19 percent of their passenger stations, a total of 644 stops, he said. More than 1,000 kilometers of track have been shut down since 2015, he said. Instead of investing in new high-speed lines, he said, better use should be made of existing infrastructure. The railroads protect the climate and the environment, he said.

Organized as a non-profit cooperative, the rail company already has 8278 members, including local authorities, municipalities and financial and technical partners. The goal is to run freight trains as well as passenger trains without public subsidies. A first connection to a transhipment station in Toulouse is scheduled to start in two months.

dpa info received via a newsletter list, accessed and translated on 2021-09-23.
Longer Article here: (DER SPIEGEL): Info site: https://www.spiegel.de/auto/konkurrenz- ... e92b4441c5 accessed 2021-09-23.
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jok

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