The project only lasted six months. While Emmanuel Macron said in September that he was “favorable” to the establishment of an unlimited pass for all on the rail and Intercity networks, taking an example from the German model, his new Minister of Transport Patrice Vergiete simply brushed aside this idea on Wednesday during questions to the government in the Senate. “What I imagine proposing could be an experiment with a rail pass targeted at young people and during the summer period on the TER and intercity networks. It would be a sort of social pricing for young people, to allow them to discover all the regions of our beautiful country,” argued the former mayor of Dunkirk.
The subscription being only 49 euros per month across the Rhine, a former advisor to the former Minister of Transport Clément Beaune had nevertheless assured, a few months ago, that France “would be able to offer a price just as attractive.” Not really the sound of the current team. “I said it at the time, we must stop having good ideas with other people’s money,” mocked the minister.
“For all regions, this would represent a shortfall of 200 million euros, plus 950 million for the Ile de France,” continued Patrice Vergiete. The time has clearly come to save money, everywhere, with the aim of avoiding any additional expenses. Having lowered its ambitions, the executive will now have to provide clarification on the experiment it wishes to launch. Which has already caused the discontent of the president of the Hauts-de-France region Xavier Bertrand on X: “Where has the initial ambition of a rail pass for all the time and for everyone gone? The State ultimately no longer wants to finance anything? To respond, the minister must discuss it with the president of the Association of Regions of France, Carole Delga.