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

[whole diary]

[Surrey 455]

The Tim Traveller, a Youtuber I follow has also made a video about this railway. Recorded in 2020, more than 6 years after the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) story, I think it's more informative than the BBC one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IovEyB2EYoM

Incidentally, all his other videos are worth a watch too.

[stuving]

If you ask yourself what was similar or different about London in this respect, the obvious point is the central planning. But there were a lot of link lines around London, built jointly, and while some ran passenger trains that's not why they were built. And once the Underground, with its better connectedness, had been built most of those trains withered away. Lines directly linking terminals (mainly London Bridge/Cannon Street/Charing Cross) were a bit different, but even there the linking services largely stopped.

The video does at least pick up on that aspect, but doesn't spot the importance of goods stations. In London this was a major use of these linking lines, as companies had goods stations "out of area" - for example the GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) had one at South Lambeth. I'm not sure how many there were inside Paris, but I came across one last time I was there (2019). It resisted photography, but can be visited by Street View. This was the gare des Gobelins, now called Olympiades, and its access ramp from the southern Petite Ceinture is still there (but neither has track). It was below ground level, and has been slabbed over to build blocks of homes and offices. More of that is now planned, but with the underground area - now various businesses' depots - directed more to servicing shops and other residents' facilities.

[stuving]

There are official suggestions that one of a number of people on top of the train was electrocuted, and that incident started the fire. From All News Press:

A freight wagon parked at Valenciennes station accidentally caught fire on Friday, according to the SNCF^▸ (Societe Nationale des Chemins de fer Francais - French National Railways). “Factually, there is a death, a body on the way,” said the head of the Departmental Directorate of Public Security in the North, Thierry Courtecuisse. The firefighters then confirmed this death, also reporting “three minor injuries, visibly migrants”, found on the platform near the burnt wagon.

Two firefighters were also slightly injured. Firefighters set up a tent in front of a medical vehicle outside the station, with two empty stretchers. By early evening, the fire was under control, according to firefighters. “Then the investigations will begin, and the search in the rubble, where it is possible that there are victims,” ​​they added.

The fire broke out at 4.30 p.m., for a reason still unknown, in a wagon containing tires, which caused an impressive column of smoke, with, according to the firefighters, a “high risk of spreading to two refrigerated wagons and a TER”. The SNCF specified that the station had been evacuated and the traffic interrupted.

[stuving]

There is now a more detailed news report in Le Figaro Live, describing the four people involved as Eritrean migrants, possibly minors. One who was trying to climb on the wagon, which had a soft covering, induced the flashover that resulted in his death. The others are described as shocked more than physically injured. The train was about to depart towards Calais. There is a short video clip of the fire here

[Jamsdad]

SNCF^▸ (Societe Nationale des Chemins de fer Francais - French National Railways) are proposing an innovative minibus road rail vehicle for little used branch lines.

See the link here
https://www.presse-citron.net/la-sncf-lance-flexy-une-navette-etrange-a-mi-chemin-entre-le-train-et-la-voiture/

[infoman]

Do the French celebrate all fools day?

[ellendune]

Do the French celebrate all fools day?

Yes

poisson d'avril

[stuving]

Do the French celebrate all fools day?

Yes

poisson d'avril

They do, though my impression is that they tend to be rather clumsy, and veering more towards the practical joke. But there are some better ones - like this year's from the Gendarmerie des Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, announcing the formation of a cat handler's section.

And of course the French claim they invented the whole idea - in 1564, when the date of new year was moved from 1st April.

[Jamsdad]

I thought this was an April Fool but it’s part of an SNCF^▸ (Societe Nationale des Chemins de fer Francais - French National Railways) initiative announced on 22March. So unbelievably perhaps it is true!

[stuving]

I thought this was an April Fool but it’s part of an SNCF^▸ (Societe Nationale des Chemins de fer Francais - French National Railways) initiative announced on 22March. So unbelievably perhaps it is true!

There's stuff from earlier than that too. Here's one in English, from Byri.net (who?):

The experiment will begin in 2024. It will involve the development of platforms allowing the passage from rail to road (and vice versa), but also that a shuttle can park there in order to avoid a collision with a another arriving in the opposite direction.

Flexy shuttles are designed and manufactured by the French company Milla. It is an evolution of the Milla Pod, an autonomous vehicle unveiled in 2019. The adaptation to mixed road-rail use involves the companies Michelin and Railenium.

So it may be a silly idea, at least in the practical sense. More of a conecpt, perhaps. What's in it for SNCF? A way to use the little branch line they want to shut, that does not involve running any trains? If so, why do they keep the rails?

[Jamsdad]

The rails are often left due to the immense political pressure exerted by French local and regional government on SNCF^▸ (Societe Nationale des Chemins de fer Francais - French National Railways).

[stuving]

The rails are often left due to the immense political pressure exerted by French local and regional government on SNCF^▸ (Societe Nationale des Chemins de fer Francais - French National Railways).

So far they have, yes. But what I mean was why do they intend to keep them if it means developing a road/rail version of this Milla Pod thing? It would be easier (i.e. cheaper) to use the standard version, perhaps made to run faster, over a reserved paved route.

[Mark A]

Off-topic but omg there's now a velorail operation over Le Viaduc de Fades...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTp1EV8rQGw

https://en.tourisme-combrailles.fr/fades-electric-velorail-les-ancizes-comps.html

Mark

[stuving]

Le Parisen reported this morning that one of the three SNCF^▸ (Societe Nationale des Chemins de fer Francais - French National Railways) (then RFF) employees implicated in the case, and previously "witnesses under caution", has been mis en examen - charged with a criminal offence, roughly. The prosecutors' office at Evry has confirmed only that step about an unnamed SNCF employee.

The newspaper report says more, that it was the local track maintenance manager (the other two being his direct reports). He did the last inspection before the accident, and the independent engineering reports said (based largely on the state of the fracture surfaces) that the relevant trackwork damage was present at that time.

It was announced today by the prosecutors that the case (for manslaughter, more or less) against both SCNF and the individual already charged will go to court next year.

The court case starts today. There may be some Covid delay involved, but I suspect it's mostly the usual legal sort.

[stuving]

About the revived sleeper trains, French press reports quote transport minister Jean-Baptiste Djebbari as saying the first would be on the Paris-Nice line, and the second would link Paris with the Pyreneen city of Tarbes.

Here's an update on how business is doing on French overnight trains, from IRJ:

Paris - Nice overnight train reaches 80% occupancy
More than 100,000 passengers carried in one year.

May 25, 2022                     Written by David Haydock

FRENCH National Railways’ (SNCF^▸ (Societe Nationale des Chemins de fer Francais - French National Railways)) overnight service between Paris and Nice has carried over 100,000 passengers since it was relaunched on May 20 2021, with funding from a €100m government programme to develop overnight services.

Paris - Nice has the best occupancy rate of SNCF overnight services, rising to above 80% at weekends and during the holidays. One in four overnight passengers choose the Mediterranean as their destination.

SNCF says train occupancy was very good in summer 2021. This trend was confirmed during the autumn and winter, and is now continuing this summer on all SNCF overnight trains.

A programme to upgrade the overnight rolling stock and adapt fleet maintenance facilities for the Paris - Nice route is due to be completed by the end of 2022.

The Nice service route was added to SNCF’s existing network of overnight services from Paris to Toulouse, Rodez/Albi, La Tour-de-Carol/Cerbère and Briançon.

A Paris - Lourdes service was launched at the end of 2021 with government funding. It will be extended to Hendaye to serve the Basque Coast in July and August.

These domestic services were joined with the timetable change on December 12 2021 by a Paris - Vienna Nightjet service operated three nights a week by Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) in partnership with SNCF.