Since last July 1, the night train connecting Paris with Portbou stops at Cerbère. The new Adif regulation that requires that some machinist or auxiliary know Spanish is the cause. French operator trains SNCF they cannot cross the border. The difficulties for rail transit between the two countries are increasing.
The border stop at Cerbère is one more example of the difficulties that the free rail competition in Europe. Renfe wants to provide long-distance service in France, but is having difficulties. SNCF it does so in Spain through OUIGO, but does not want competition in its natural market.
Renfe provides six services in each direction on the Rodalies de Catalunya line R11 between Cerbère and Portbou and intends to maintain these trains by hiring staff with knowledge of French. At least one driving assistant with knowledge of French accompanies the journey between Portbou and Cerbère. The solution of offering a bus to cover the cross-border transfer does not please French citizens.
“This decision is motivated by the impossibility of finding an agreement that repeals the European railway safety standards between the Spanish infrastructure administrator (Adif) and the operators SA Voyages SNCF and its Intercités entity,” the French union CGT has denounced. The reason for this paralysis of the service is clear to the French unions: “It is above all an economic war between the SNCF and Renfe linked to liberalization. Once again, it is the users who suffer from these political choices.”
In Renfe sources they recognize the difficulties they have been facing for years in their objective of entering the French railway market. The most obvious example occurred last February with the announcement of SNCF to consider the projects for the joint exploitation of cross-border high-speed lines as settled. The French operator informed the Spanish that it will stop collaborating on the lines linking Madrid and Barcelona with Lyon, Paris and Marseille at the end of this year, but wants to maintain the Paris-Barcelona connection on its own because it is the only one it considers profitable.
Renfe has now reaffirmed its objective of reinforcing the service between Madrid and Marseille and Lyon, with a job offer included for 13 train drivers in charge of working on the French tracks.
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While ouigo continues its expansion in Spain, Renfe denounces repeated obstacles to promote its French expansion. The delay in the delivery of Talgo’s high-speed trains, for which Renfe is now studying the compensation to be demanded, is yet another problem in meeting the objectives of improving and reinforcing high-speed services.
SNCF shielded its departure from the joint firm ellipses for accumulated losses in cross-border services. For Renfe, the poor economic results of the French lines are a consequence of the pandemic and are recoverable. Passenger traffic on these lines fell by 70% in 2020 and another 60% in 2021 compared to 2019. There is currently no start-up schedule for new Renfe services in France. The homologation permits of the Talgo S106 They have been requested before the French authorities, but the summer season is already considered lost and the increase in lines continues without dates on the agenda. SNCF currently has Alstom trains between Paris and Barcelona. Renfe maintains its AVE Madrid-Marsella and Barcelona-Lyon.