France draws national plan to develop rail freight
The French state wants to reverse rail’s lost market share during the coming years. For this purpose, it developed an action plan with specific goals: doubling rail freight’s modal share by 2030 ( from 9...Read more
French rail and inland shipping sectors merge networks
An interesting development from France sees the rail freight and inland shipping sectors establishing a rail-river alliance. SNCF Réseau and VNF want to work together and strengthen operational complementarity between rail and river networks to...Read more
Rail link between France and Italy via Modane reopened
The railway line in Maurienne valley linking France and Italy via Modane has been reopened today in the early morning. The route had been closed for train traffic for three weeks due to a mudslide....Read more
Explosions to limit risk of rockfall near Modane
The disrupted railway line connecting France and Italy through Modane is expected to be reopened on 31 July. The area is currently consolidated as there was a risk of rockslides. This was in addition to...Read more
Rail bypass of railway hub Lyon to be upgraded
The French infrastructure manager SNCF Réseau is assessing the upgrade of the railway bypass of Lyon, the most important cargo and passenger hub in France being crossed by 1,200 trains daily. The bypass is saturated...Read moreSNCF Réseau: Soft measures the most sustainable approach to railway development
Soft measures are by far the most sustainable approach towards developing railway, said director Europe of SNCF Réseau Paul Mazataud. He was referring to projects in the field of timetabling, traffic management or digitalisation. This...Read more
SNCF Réseau looks for creative railway switch
SNCF Réseau has invited manufacturers Alstom, Ansaldo STS, Siemens and Thales to present creative proposals for the next generation railway switches in a project called the ARGOS Innovation Partnership. As part of a transformation of...Read moreFrance to test self-driving freight train in 2019
France plans to experiment with remote-controlled freight trains in 2019, as it pushes forward technological advances to facilitate the use of semi-autonomous trains across the national rail network. It is all part of a long-term programme...Read more