The delay of almost seven hours suffered by passengers on a Paris-Clermont-Ferrand train last month was the last straw.
The government and the SNCF announced this Friday a specific action plan for this
“
cursed
”
line of the railway company, a nightmare for users, where 163 trains recorded a delay of more than one hour in 2023. A plan requested from the SNCF by the Minister of Ecological Transition Christophe Béchu following the incident in mid-January.
The boss of the public company Jean-Pierre Farandou came to present his copy this Friday in Clermont-Ferrand (Puy-de-Dôme), in the presence of Christophe Béchu, but also of the Minister Delegate for Transport, Patrice Vergriete, and the Minister Delegate for Local Authorities and Rural Affairs, Dominique Faure.
To avoid significant delays as much as possible, an additional emergency locomotive will be installed from March 4 in the center of the line, in Nevers (Nièvre).
“It will be added to the two existing ones at the ends of the line, and will be used to rescue trains more quickly in the Nevers-Montargis zone
,” explains SNCF Voyageurs.
Between now and May, this locomotive will run every evening to accompany the last trains on the line.
Furthermore, from September, a rapid intervention and maintenance team will be present in Nevers, as requested by user associations.
Read alsoParis-Clermont-Ferrand: this cursed SNCF line, “open wound” for users and local elected officials
100% or even 200% refund
In addition, an envelope of 7 million euros in 2024 is planned by SNCF Réseau to limit incidents linked to wildlife and vegetation - an increase of 50% in the annual budget compared to 2020. More concretely, 10 kilometers fences will be installed this year to prevent animals from crossing the tracks and thus limit the risk of game colliding with trains.
A clearing plan along the line, over 220 km, has also been announced, to avoid trees falling on the tracks.
“An agreement with the Nièvre Hunting Federation will be concluded at the end of March to improve protection against wildlife
,” specifies the SNCF.
Delays also mean compensation for travelers.
The SNCF is taking a step towards them, announcing a strengthening of pricing measures and compensation.
From now on, in the event of a delay of 3 hours or more, all passengers will be refunded 100% of the ticket price.
In the event of an even greater delay, the reimbursement may increase up to 200%.
A measure with immediate effect.
Finally, the SNCF will improve the care of travelers stuck on a stopped train,
“by systematizing the supply of bottled water and meals as soon as a delay exceeds two hours”
.
A series of emergency measures therefore, before, we hope on the SNCF side, that the situation improves thanks to the arrival of new “Oxygène” trains between the second half of 2025 and the end of 2026, and the completion of infrastructure regeneration and modernization works.
In total, 1.2 billion euros were committed by the State and the SNCF to these projects.