France - railways, public transport, services and incidents (merged posts)

[whole diary]

[Lee]

I recently read somewhere about Austrian railways reintroducing night trains, but I can’t recall the details. Perhaps some Coffee Shop reader has the facts?

They resume as follows:

Vienna - Milan   1 August
Milan - Vienna   4 August
Munich - Milan   3 August
Milan - Munich   2 August

See here for more details.

[rogerpatenall]

Castex also announced two new freight routes - from Bayonne near the Spanish border to Cherbourg on the English Channel, and from Sète on the Mediterranean to Calais. Not clear what he envisages these trains will carry.

The Cherbourg link is being planned in association with Brittany Ferries. Unaccompanied trailers will be taken to the ports in Ireland (principally), but also in England. Transhipped by the shipping company to train at Cherbourg, and then the trailers picked up by local drivers in Bayonne (and vv). Freight will, as I understand it, be exclusively complete trailer units, minus tractors.

[stuving]

Well, this year they were a few days late, but it's traditional, so it has to happen (like the Tour de France). From The Local:

French rail network disrupted until 'Tuesday at earliest' after power outage strands thousands
31 August 2020    09:24 CEST+02:00

French rail operator SNCF^▸ (Societe Nationale des Chemins de fer Francais - French National Railways) says that trains will not be back to normal until Tuesday morning at the earliest after a power failure saw thousands of passengers having to spend the night on stranded trains.

The power failure in south west France affected thousands of passengers who were travelling back to Paris and the north of the country ready to go back to work on Monday.

The power failure happened between Dax and Bordeaux on Sunday afternoon, leaving several trains from Dax, Biarritz and Hendaye stuck on the lines unable to move. Many passengers were stranded for up to 20 hours and some were forced to sleep on trains after local hotels ran out of space.

In all around 2,500 passengers were affected, said SNCF.

The company added that the problem is not yet resolved and has also had major knock-on effects on the rail network, saying that they do not expect a return to normal until Tuesday morning at the earliest.

There is talk of 60 km of OLE^▸ (Overhead Line Equipment, more often "OHLE") needing to be repaired.

[Hal]

Le Monde quotes the SNCF^▸ (Societe Nationale des Chemins de fer Francais - French National Railways) as saying passengers affected by this breakdown will receive "compensation amounting to 300%" (of their ticket price presumably). SNCF will also cover consequential costs such as hotels and taxis.

[stuving]

There is talk of 60 km of OLE^▸ (Overhead Line Equipment, more often "OHLE") needing to be repaired.

SNCF^▸ (Societe Nationale des Chemins de fer Francais - French National Railways) are saying (though this is subject to detailed investigation) that a catenary fault at Orthez damaged a pantograph, which in turn went on to damage 60 km of catenary (mainly at track switches). For that, it must have still been collecting current OK. After stopping at Morcenx, the train did restart and got 50 km further to Ychoux, before its complete failure. Apparently, two following trains also suffered some of this mutual damage effect. 

[Electric train]

There is talk of 60 km of OLE^▸ (Overhead Line Equipment, more often "OHLE") needing to be repaired.

SNCF^▸ (Societe Nationale des Chemins de fer Francais - French National Railways) are saying (though this is subject to detailed investigation) that a catenary fault at Orthez damaged a pantograph, which in turn went on to damage 60 km of catenary (mainly at track switches). For that, it must have still been collecting current OK. After stopping at Morcenx, the train did restart and got 50 km further to Ychoux, before its complete failure. Apparently, two following trains also suffered some of this mutual damage effect. 

TGV^▸ (Train a Grande Vitesse)'s have 2 Pans wonder if it was the leading or trailing Pan that was damaged? At the speeds of TGV's the dynamic forces at the pantograph it does not take much to cause damage to the OLE and over a large area. 

[JontyMort]

There is talk of 60 km of OLE^▸ (Overhead Line Equipment, more often "OHLE") needing to be repaired.

SNCF^▸ (Societe Nationale des Chemins de fer Francais - French National Railways) are saying (though this is subject to detailed investigation) that a catenary fault at Orthez damaged a pantograph, which in turn went on to damage 60 km of catenary (mainly at track switches). For that, it must have still been collecting current OK. After stopping at Morcenx, the train did restart and got 50 km further to Ychoux, before its complete failure. Apparently, two following trains also suffered some of this mutual damage effect. 

TGV^▸ (Train a Grande Vitesse)'s have 2 Pans wonder if it was the leading or trailing Pan that was damaged? At the speeds of TGV's the dynamic forces at the pantograph it does not take much to cause damage to the OLE and over a large area. 

Though, of course, this wasn’t on a high-speed line, so the fact that it was a TGV may not be relevant.

[stuving]

There is talk of 60 km of OLE^▸ (Overhead Line Equipment, more often "OHLE") needing to be repaired.

SNCF^▸ (Societe Nationale des Chemins de fer Francais - French National Railways) are saying (though this is subject to detailed investigation) that a catenary fault at Orthez damaged a pantograph, which in turn went on to damage 60 km of catenary (mainly at track switches). For that, it must have still been collecting current OK. After stopping at Morcenx, the train did restart and got 50 km further to Ychoux, before its complete failure. Apparently, two following trains also suffered some of this mutual damage effect. 

TGV^▸ (Train a Grande Vitesse)'s have 2 Pans wonder if it was the leading or trailing Pan that was damaged? At the speeds of TGV's the dynamic forces at the pantograph it does not take much to cause damage to the OLE and over a large area. 

Though, of course, this wasn’t on a high-speed line, so the fact that it was a TGV may not be relevant.

True - and not only that; this is DC^▸ (Direct Current) territory so it's not even 25kV. AFAIK^▸ (as far as I know) TGVs only raise one pan under 25kV, though I vaguely recall they prefer the rear one when running single. Of course TGVs often run in pairs, and will be subject to rules about inter-pan spacing varying with speed (which I failed to find on line). It's not clear whether this train was one or two units. On 1500V DC each unit would raise both pans - the power link along the roof only being available at 25kV.

[stuving]

Just a small clarification, based on a more through report of Monday's press conference:

TGV^▸ (Train a Grande Vitesse) 8538 did contain two units, should have left Hendaye at 11:46 and was due into Paris at 16:21. The passengers were moved to another train during the night (presumably at Ychoux), which left Bordeaux (where it does not normally call) for Paris at 10:00, and would have arrived ca. 12:10. It does not pass through Orthez, so why did SNCF^▸ (Societe Nationale des Chemins de fer Francais - French National Railways) infra mention OLE^▸ (Overhead Line Equipment, more often "OHLE") damage there? They were actually saying they did not know which train first damaged the OLE - maybe 8538, maybe an earlier one, which then led to further trains sufferinge damage.

[Lee]

I fancy the idea of retiring to a cottage in the countryside - to an old station that's perhaps disused but has trains passing by occasionally, or is open and used by a smattering of passengers.

- A rail enthusiast property developer is currently redeveloping the historic station building at Pontivy, which still sees fairly regular freight trains, and you could view these at your leisure from one of the 4 duplex apartments being built on the upper levels. He is doing this in conjunction with the local authorities, who are building one of your favourite things in the whole wide world - a bus/rail interchange! This will include a new waiting hall, ticket office and retail space on the ground floor, the idea being to integrate regional bus, local bus, cycle routes etc with the revived tourist passenger trains that were due to start this summer but, thanks to Covid-19, are more likely now in 2021 as a first step to full passenger rail reopening - thus creating grahame heaven in the process.

Here is a translated article from Reporterre on hopes for the renovation and restoration of passenger trains on the Saint Brieuc-Pontivy-Auray line as part of the Macron initiative:

Closed for thirty years, the TER railway line which crosses Brittany from north to south could resume service. At the initiative of this possible renaissance, a collective of railway workers and a train enthusiast who campaign for the return of rail to rural areas.

The ballet of TER coaches makes the windows of buildings vibrate around the Pontivy bus station (Morbihan). Travelers protect themselves from the July sun under the only bus shelter, planted at the corner of the car park. Since the station closed in 2014, it's the only place to wait. But not for long. In a few months, the renovated building will reopen its doors to the public, thanks to Jean-Philippe Van Walleghem . This entrepreneur, passionate about trains, has invested 1 million euros to buy and renovate the station of this sub-prefecture of 15,000 inhabitants, abandoned since the collapse of part of its ceiling.

The work is progressing well. That morning, the workers carefully install the new clock on the pediment. “  A clock is the heart of a station,  ” smiles the new owner. In a few months, an SNCF^▸ (Societe Nationale des Chemins de fer Francais - French National Railways) counter will be installed there. And Jean-Philippe Van Walleghem does not intend to stop there. “  The reopening of the station is the first step. The ultimate goal is the return of the passenger train  !  "

It has been thirty years since Pontivy has not welcomed a single one. The railway line going from Saint-Brieuc (Côtes-d'Armor) to Auray via the city only sees a few freight wagons circulating. It is therefore by bus that the inhabitants go to the neighboring department, for a carbon footprint nearly twice as high. “  We have to bring trains back here. Buying the station is a militant act  , ” says Jean-Philippe Van Walleghem, a construction helmet adorned with the inscription “  station master  ” on the head.

And he is not alone. At his side, around fifty elected officials, activists and citizens are united in the collective “  Center-Bretagne en train  ”, founded two years ago to revive the rail link between the north and the south of Brittany. . The challenge is twofold: to increase freight and, above all, to get passengers back on track. The key is to open up the area and reduce road traffic.

“  When you look at the map of the region's rail network, there's a big hole in the middle. It is the center of Brittany  ”, describes Simon Brunet, railway worker member of the CGT and founder of the collective. “  It is a territory which is suffering, which is even declining. Equal treatment between citizens also involves mobility, and bus connections are not a solution for the future.  " 140,000 people live along the line. So many potential passengers.

The idea of ​​relaunching this train link is not new, but the climate emergency has accelerated the thinking. "  The ecological context was the trigger for setting up the collective,  " says the railway worker. A public meeting organized in Pontivy in November 2019 attracted around sixty people. On July 14, Emmanuel Macron announced that he wanted to develop small train lines, freight and night trains. At the same time, citizen initiatives aiming to defend or promote the train are multiplying. The Railcoop cooperative , with which the Breton collective is in contact, thus wants to relaunch the Bordeaux-Lyon train line, abandoned by the SNCF . " We feel that we have an openness, that the context is favorable to the debate  ", rejoices Simon Brunet, "  and we are going to seize it  " .

From his station under construction, Jean-Philippe Van Walleghem also feels this enthusiasm. “  It is not a question of starting trains with three travelers, it would take a market study, suitable schedules… But the community of communes [Pontivy community] has 45,000 inhabitants, that's still quite a crowd  !  " The collective hopes of reopening the Breton online travelers within five years.

It would not be a first, moreover. In 2016, a section of the TER line between Oloron-Sainte-Marie and Bedous, in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, was put back into operation after fifty years of closure. The cost of 102 million euros was fully covered by the former Aquitaine region. In Brittany, the Auray-Saint-Brieuc project is supported by many local elected officials from north to south of the line. In Saint-Brieuc, the new municipal team of the ecological left is in favor, as is that of Pontivy.

"  But it is those who hold the purse string that must be convinced,  " recalls Simon Brunet. The collective estimates the cost of modernizing and operating the train link at 100 million euros. A sum that would be shared by SNCF Réseau, owner of the rail infrastructure, and the Brittany region, responsible for organizing transport.

The latter does not plan to reopen the line for the moment. "  At this stage, the Brittany region has not taken part in any discussion on the subject,  " said the vice-president for transport, Gérard Lahellec. He recalls that the community has "  agreed to co-finance infrastructure work to allow freight trains to continue to serve businesses in central Brittany  " since 2007. The Brittany region has also invested heavily in the TER , spending 160 million euros to renovate several lines.

“  We understand this position,” says Simon Brunet. As this line is of national importance for freight, the State must also assume its responsibilities.  " The group intends to take advantage of regional elections in March 2021 to highlight the subject of renovation and the creation of small lines. "  We do not want the issue of the train to be confined to speeding up connections with Paris, " said the unionist. Living in the country is a right. To ensure equality between the territories, there must be solidarity between profitable lines and those which are not. The “next world” also goes through this.  "

Pontivy station will reopen its doors in a year. Cap, whistle and SNCF badge , the outfit of station master Jean-Philippe Van Walleghem is already ready. He is convinced: the train will whiste le again three times in central Brittany.

I visited Pontivy station last Friday (25 September 2020), and things are progressing very well. The renovation of the station building is almost complete, with just a couple of window panes, and the interior fittings and exterior signs to be completed. Similarly, the bus/rail interchange only really needs to be marked out to be ready.

I had access trackside, where work to bring the platforms up to modern standards has begun, and as luck would have it, a freight train happened to be in while I was there.

As an aside, a Covid-19 testing tent is also available in the station area.

Photos of all of the above, and of the rail route through the town taken at various vantage points, can be found here.

[TonyK]

As an aside, a Covid-19 testing tent is also available in the station area.

It's good to know that there is one closer than that offered to me by the Covid 19 app. 

The photos do look good. The building resembles a lot of the small French stations I remember from the 1970s, other than being in a lot better condition.

[Hal]

Further details announced today of the French government?s investment in railways.

Prime Minister Jean Castex visited the central city of Clermont-Ferrand and said 280 million euros are to be invested over the next two years in upgrading the link between Clermont and Paris, as well as in maintaining the small local lines in the Auvergne region and ?consolidating? the goods lines (whatever that means).

The Paris-Clermont journey will be shortened to 3 hours 15 minutes, and one extra train per day will be added. New rolling stock will arrive in 2023-24.

People in the Auvergne frequently complain about the unreliability of the rail service to Paris. And indeed, on the very day of Castex?s statement, one train from Paris arrived in Clermont more than 5 hours late ? a broken-down goods train and problems with a catenary were cited as the reasons for the delay, according to the local newspaper La Montagne.

[Lee]

From the Connexion:

Some TGVs to be cancelled in France due to lack of demand

The SNCF^▸ (Societe Nationale des Chemins de fer Francais - French National Railways) will cancel scheduled TGV journeys in the coming months to avoid running empty trains. Passenger numbers are down following the Covid-19 pandemic.

Demand for TGV trains has failed to reach levels anticipated at the beginning of September, and train operator SNCF will now cancel some scheduled TGV journeys in the coming months. Around 5% of TGV trains will be impacted.

The company has said it will not cancel trains during school holidays.

After a relatively good summer, in which people took the train to travel around France and visit friends and family, an SNCF spokesperson said: ?Things have been difficult since September.?

Weekend TGV trains continue to see good passenger numbers, but weekday trains have been circulating at half capacity. Business travel is down 60-70%.

The company says reservations for the Christmas and New Year period have also been ?disappointing?.

The spokesperson said: ?It is not economically or ecologically responsible to run TGV trains with few passengers. That?s why, taking into account the impact of the health crisis, SNCF TGV have decided to cancel a certain number.?

SNCF TGV is estimated to have lost ?3billion so far as a result of the Covid-19 health pandemic.

The spokesperson said TGV train timetables could be ?cancelled, adapted or extended throughout 2021, depending on how traffic evolves and the enduring context?.

To compensate for cancelled trains SNCF are trying to find alternatives for clients, such as suggesting TER train routes (which are slower) or integrating extra stops into existing TGV routes.

The two train routes expected to be impacted from November 2 are the TGV Paris-Mulhouse, and the TGV Paris-Le Creusot. Both routes will see one train per day cancelled.

[rogerpatenall]

I thought that TGV^▸ (Train a Grande Vitesse) and Intercite bookings for post December 12th were only released this week, so it seems a bit early to pass judgements on the level of Christmas bookings.

Some lines, such as my local  (Cherbourg) - Valognes - Paris, which are no longer run by Intercite, still have not announced their post December 12th timetable.

[Lee]

I fancy the idea of retiring to a cottage in the countryside - to an old station that's perhaps disused but has trains passing by occasionally, or is open and used by a smattering of passengers.

- A rail enthusiast property developer is currently redeveloping the historic station building at Pontivy, which still sees fairly regular freight trains, and you could view these at your leisure from one of the 4 duplex apartments being built on the upper levels. He is doing this in conjunction with the local authorities, who are building one of your favourite things in the whole wide world - a bus/rail interchange! This will include a new waiting hall, ticket office and retail space on the ground floor, the idea being to integrate regional bus, local bus, cycle routes etc with the revived tourist passenger trains that were due to start this summer but, thanks to Covid-19, are more likely now in 2021 as a first step to full passenger rail reopening - thus creating grahame heaven in the process.

Here is a translated article from Reporterre on hopes for the renovation and restoration of passenger trains on the Saint Brieuc-Pontivy-Auray line as part of the Macron initiative:

Closed for thirty years, the TER railway line which crosses Brittany from north to south could resume service. At the initiative of this possible renaissance, a collective of railway workers and a train enthusiast who campaign for the return of rail to rural areas.

The ballet of TER coaches makes the windows of buildings vibrate around the Pontivy bus station (Morbihan). Travelers protect themselves from the July sun under the only bus shelter, planted at the corner of the car park. Since the station closed in 2014, it's the only place to wait. But not for long. In a few months, the renovated building will reopen its doors to the public, thanks to Jean-Philippe Van Walleghem . This entrepreneur, passionate about trains, has invested 1 million euros to buy and renovate the station of this sub-prefecture of 15,000 inhabitants, abandoned since the collapse of part of its ceiling.

The work is progressing well. That morning, the workers carefully install the new clock on the pediment. “  A clock is the heart of a station,  ” smiles the new owner. In a few months, an SNCF^▸ (Societe Nationale des Chemins de fer Francais - French National Railways) counter will be installed there. And Jean-Philippe Van Walleghem does not intend to stop there. “  The reopening of the station is the first step. The ultimate goal is the return of the passenger train  !  "

It has been thirty years since Pontivy has not welcomed a single one. The railway line going from Saint-Brieuc (Côtes-d'Armor) to Auray via the city only sees a few freight wagons circulating. It is therefore by bus that the inhabitants go to the neighboring department, for a carbon footprint nearly twice as high. “  We have to bring trains back here. Buying the station is a militant act  , ” says Jean-Philippe Van Walleghem, a construction helmet adorned with the inscription “  station master  ” on the head.

And he is not alone. At his side, around fifty elected officials, activists and citizens are united in the collective “  Center-Bretagne en train  ”, founded two years ago to revive the rail link between the north and the south of Brittany. . The challenge is twofold: to increase freight and, above all, to get passengers back on track. The key is to open up the area and reduce road traffic.

“  When you look at the map of the region's rail network, there's a big hole in the middle. It is the center of Brittany  ”, describes Simon Brunet, railway worker member of the CGT and founder of the collective. “  It is a territory which is suffering, which is even declining. Equal treatment between citizens also involves mobility, and bus connections are not a solution for the future.  " 140,000 people live along the line. So many potential passengers.

The idea of ​​relaunching this train link is not new, but the climate emergency has accelerated the thinking. "  The ecological context was the trigger for setting up the collective,  " says the railway worker. A public meeting organized in Pontivy in November 2019 attracted around sixty people. On July 14, Emmanuel Macron announced that he wanted to develop small train lines, freight and night trains. At the same time, citizen initiatives aiming to defend or promote the train are multiplying. The Railcoop cooperative , with which the Breton collective is in contact, thus wants to relaunch the Bordeaux-Lyon train line, abandoned by the SNCF . " We feel that we have an openness, that the context is favorable to the debate  ", rejoices Simon Brunet, "  and we are going to seize it  " .

From his station under construction, Jean-Philippe Van Walleghem also feels this enthusiasm. “  It is not a question of starting trains with three travelers, it would take a market study, suitable schedules… But the community of communes [Pontivy community] has 45,000 inhabitants, that's still quite a crowd  !  " The collective hopes of reopening the Breton online travelers within five years.

It would not be a first, moreover. In 2016, a section of the TER line between Oloron-Sainte-Marie and Bedous, in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, was put back into operation after fifty years of closure. The cost of 102 million euros was fully covered by the former Aquitaine region. In Brittany, the Auray-Saint-Brieuc project is supported by many local elected officials from north to south of the line. In Saint-Brieuc, the new municipal team of the ecological left is in favor, as is that of Pontivy.

"  But it is those who hold the purse string that must be convinced,  " recalls Simon Brunet. The collective estimates the cost of modernizing and operating the train link at 100 million euros. A sum that would be shared by SNCF Réseau, owner of the rail infrastructure, and the Brittany region, responsible for organizing transport.

The latter does not plan to reopen the line for the moment. "  At this stage, the Brittany region has not taken part in any discussion on the subject,  " said the vice-president for transport, Gérard Lahellec. He recalls that the community has "  agreed to co-finance infrastructure work to allow freight trains to continue to serve businesses in central Brittany  " since 2007. The Brittany region has also invested heavily in the TER , spending 160 million euros to renovate several lines.

“  We understand this position,” says Simon Brunet. As this line is of national importance for freight, the State must also assume its responsibilities.  " The group intends to take advantage of regional elections in March 2021 to highlight the subject of renovation and the creation of small lines. "  We do not want the issue of the train to be confined to speeding up connections with Paris, " said the unionist. Living in the country is a right. To ensure equality between the territories, there must be solidarity between profitable lines and those which are not. The “next world” also goes through this.  "

Pontivy station will reopen its doors in a year. Cap, whistle and SNCF badge , the outfit of station master Jean-Philippe Van Walleghem is already ready. He is convinced: the train will whiste le again three times in central Brittany.

I visited Pontivy station last Friday (25 September 2020), and things are progressing very well. The renovation of the station building is almost complete, with just a couple of window panes, and the interior fittings and exterior signs to be completed. Similarly, the bus/rail interchange only really needs to be marked out to be ready.

I had access trackside, where work to bring the platforms up to modern standards has begun, and as luck would have it, a freight train happened to be in while I was there.

As an aside, a Covid-19 testing tent is also available in the station area.

Photos of all of the above, and of the rail route through the town taken at various vantage points, can be found here.

More good news - Association Chemins de fer de Center-Bretagne (CFCB) have concluded an operating and circulation agreement with SNCF Reseau to run tourist trains from Pontivy southwards to Lambel Camors from next summer. These will initially run on Wednesdays and Sundays, which are the 2 days per week that no freight paths are scheduled.

If this is successful, then a joint passenger/freight operating agreement will be sought to expand the number of operating days, and extend towards the junction with the main line at Auray, which is served by TGVs^▸ (Train a Grande Vitesse) to Rennes and Paris, and local trains to Quimper, Lorient and Vannes. The ultimate aim is to have a 7 days a week "national rail" SNCF service from Pontivy-Auray providing all of the above connections, coexisting with freight trains, and with tourist trains that would continue to run in the summer months.

Could something similar work in the UK^▸ (United Kingdom)? Now, there's an idea...