The Hauts-de-France region announced Wednesday to suspend payments due to SNCF due to malfunctions, delays and train cancellations on the TER network, which have not improved despite a recovery plan launched in October .
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"
For several months, the Hauts-de-France Region has deplored the many dysfunctions encountered daily by TER network users (delays and cancellations of recurring trains for unavailability of equipment or staff)
", accuses the Regional Council, chaired by the LR Xavier Bertrand, among the LR contenders for the presidential race.
"
Despite the actions announced by SNCF, the situation has not been rectified
", deplores the Council in a press release.
A threat in October
Faced with this situation, "
the Hauts-de-France region has taken the decision to suspend payments due to the SNCF operator, with immediate effect, pending an improvement in the quality of service,
" the statement continued. At the end of October, the region threatened to take this step if progress was not made by mid-November. "
The degradation of service on the entire TER network is such that the ceiling of penalties for train cancellations - 1.8 million euros per year - has been reached since June 8, 2021
", she underlined then.
In the process, SNCF Voyageurs announced commit "
an immediate plan of reinforcements means human and material, including
" the assignment of 40 train crews, drivers and controllers and the reinforcement of
an
"
voluntary personal trades on maintenance, driving and controlling trains.
The company also expected the rapid arrival of two additional locomotives.
Read also Delays, cancellations, lack of personnel: Hauts-de-France put pressure on SNCF
Asked Wednesday morning, the SCNF did not wish to react to the region's decision immediately.
In its report in mid-2021, made public at the end of October, the Authority for quality of service in transport noted "
strong geographical disparities
" with regard to delays in French TERs, the best performance being achieved by the Brittany region with 3, 2% and the worst achieved by Hauts-de-France, with 9.1%.