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 to the executive this Friday in Clermont-Ferrand (Puy-de-Dôme), in front of Christophe Béchu, but also the Minister for Transport, Patrice Vergriete, and the Minister 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. “This emergency system will make it possible to avoid very long delays,” Christophe Béchu insisted to the press. Furthermore, from September, a rapid intervention and maintenance team will be present in Nevers, as requested by user associations.
Also read Paris-Clermont-Ferrand: this cursed SNCF line, “open wound” for users and local elected officials
Another salient point announced this Friday by the SNCF concerns the protection of the Paris-Clermont tracks. “As many delays are not linked solely to the dilapidation of the line, but to the fact that we cross game areas, and that we are in sectors in which there are external risks, it is necessary that the we treat this line in the long term as a high-speed line, that is to say by securing its spindle,” estimated Christophe Béchu.
Thus, an envelope of 7 million euros is planned by SNCF Réseau in 2024 to limit incidents linked to wildlife and vegetation – an increase of 50% in the annual budget compared to 2020. More concretely, 10 kilometers of 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 falling trees 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 could go 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 have been committed by the State and the SNCF to these projects, which must be completed in 2026.
