Question 16406 — rail transport

Summary

Ms. Rachel Keke draws the attention of the Minister Delegate to the Minister for Ecological Transition and Territorial Cohesion, responsible for transport, to his announcements concerning Fret SNCF following the opening of an investigation by the European Commission on January 18, 2024. This procedure against France is motivated by an alleged non-compliance with the rules on state aid intended to avoid “distortions of competition ". This is the culmination of 15 years of rail freight liberalization organized jointly by the European Union and successive governments. Since 2006, when rail freight was opened to competition following the adoption by the European Commission of the second rail package, the situation in rail freight has continued to deteriorate. While this liberalization had been sold as the miracle cure for relaunch traffic, it collapsed by 30%. The modal share of goods transported by rail has fallen from 25% in 1980 to less than 11% today. Fret SNCF, for its part, saw the number of railway workers drop from 15,000 to 5,000 and lost shares, only transporting around 50% of bloodless traffic (nearly 2/3 less volume of goods transported for Fret SNCF since 2003). Competition is not the solution, that's the problem. Between 2006 and 2019, many private companies, swearing only by economic profitability, competed with Fret SNCF in profitable segments, leaving only the least profitable sectors to Fret SNCF. However, rail freight has many strategic and ecological advantages: strategic because it allows French industrial sovereignty as well as a fine network, opening up certain territories. Ecological because a train of 35 wagons represents the equivalent of 55 32-ton trucks. At a time when transport accounts for 32% of French carbon emissions and 12% for road transport of goods alone, rail freight is a fantastic tool for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. While SNCF Freight should be at the heart of major public policies necessary for the ecological transition and national industrial development, the former Minister of Transport Clément Beaune decided on behalf of the Government to complete the dismantling started by his predecessors under the cover of anticipation of a European sanction. Sanction which is itself the direct consequence of the law “For a new railway pact” of 2018 carried by Ms. Élisabeth Borne, then Minister of Transport. However, at the time, trade unionists had alerted to the transformation of FRET SNCF into SAS and the risks of sanctions by Brussels in the name of the dogma of competition. Once again, the unions were right and today hundreds of employees are paying the price for Élisabeth Borne's incompetence. After 15 years of neoliberal management, the European Commission therefore intends to step on the accelerator in the midst of a climate crisis and push for the dismantling of the operator historical audience. Through its incompetence and its submission to Brussels, Emmanuel Macron's government signs with the stroke of a pen the dismissal of more than 500 railway workers on their way out, as the only thank you for hard work and numerous sacrifices. Mr. Beaune also announced a sale of so-called dedicated trains, including the emblematic primeurs train, from December 31, 2023, which represents a loss of 30% of the volume. total activity of Fret SNCF. In passing, the Government is organizing the sale of the company by transferring more than 60 locomotives to the private sector, by selling 40% of the real estate assets as well as the Saint-Priest logistics platform to private sector competitors! Another aberration in line with the policy pursued for 15 years. Political choices which have led to a decline in rail freight to the detriment of road. Since 2006, more than 1.6 million additional trucks have been thrown onto the roads. Instead of satisfying the demands of the European Commission which are incompatible with an ambitious policy to revive public rail freight, the Government should lead the fight against Brussels to impose a public monopoly on the rail freight sector. In the name of the general interest of the Nation, there is an urgent need to place rail freight under the aegis of a 100% public, unified and integrated company such as SNCF. Public rail freight is an essential tool for achieving the objectives of the “greenhouse gas emissions reduction plan” for which the Government is well behind and, even worse, in the wrong direction. She asks him his position on this subject.

Machine translation from French. The official text remains authoritative.

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