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Local France
19-06-2025
- Business
- Local France
How France became a world champion of high-speed rail
In 2024, the French rail network carried nearly 130 million passengers - another record-breaking year for SNCF as more and more people take the train in what the network describes as a 'golden age for rail'. French trains are popular - an Ifop study found that almost half of all French people travelled by TGV in the last 12 months, and while cars are still king in France, the study also found that the French prefer to travel by train rather than plane for distances below 500 km. Meanwhile, a separate study found that 78 percent of French people travel by train 'from time to time' - and there's no evidence that the somewhat robust attitude of French rail unions to negotiation is putting passengers off . Listen to the team at The Local discuss France's rail success in the latest episode of the Talking France podcast - download here or listen on the link below The French rail network is not only popular, it's fast - France also holds several international train speed records, the most recent being set in 1990 (515.3 km/h) and 2007 (574.8 km/h). A standard Paris to Marseille TGV trip will commonly reach speeds of 320km/h. (A side note for train fans - Japan's maglev train L0 Series, which achieved 604km/h in 2015, is technically a magnetic levitation track, which means that France holds onto its record.) Advertisement One factor that helped France to build and expand its high-speed rail network is that its construction costs are, relatively speaking, quite low. The Transit Costs project database of projects in 59 countries and over 20,000km of urban rail found that France spends on average €29.71 million per km of high-speed rail line built. While that is slightly above Spain (€21.75 million/km), it's one-tenth of the spend in the UK (€207.9 million/km average). So what's behind the success story of French rail, especially the high-speed TGV ( Train à Grande Vitesse ) services that were launched in the 1980s? Presentation of the TGV on June 15th, 1980 in Chantilly. (Photo by AFP) We spoke to rail experts about some of the factors that have enabled this success. State involvement "France's high-speed rail network has been incredibly successful," Rick Harnish, the executive director of the non-profit High-Speed Rail Alliance , told The Local. Harnish, who lives in Chicago, fondly remembers his first trip on a French TGV. "Our first trip was from Gare de Lyon to Marseille... I thought I understood what high-speed rail was about, and now I really do." "[To build a high-speed network], the most important thing you need is an entity of some nature whose clear job it is to make it happen. "The second step is that the entity needs to have the resources - both financial and personnel - to be successful. And third, you need a strong commitment from the government to get through challenges. In the case of France, that entity is the French national railroad, SNCF," Harnish said. Having a centralised, state-controlled rail operator is also important when it comes to building costs. France has been able to build high-speed lines relatively cheaply and quickly, particularly in comparison to countries like the US and UK, which has meant the rapid expansion of the network. Alon Levy, a Fellow in the Transportation and Land Use program of the NYU Marron Institute and author of the blog Pedestrian Observations, noted France has opted for a more traditional model, rather than a 'globalised' one, which is popular in the Anglophone world. Advertisement "The globalised system means you try to involve international consultancies more in planning, so you use bigger, more expensive contracts," Levy explained. "France does not work that way (...) and as a result, French management costs for subway projects are between five to 10 percent of their hard costs, whereas in the US this starts at 20 percent and just goes up. Keeping experienced managers in the public sector to supervise private sector designers saves money." France also harnesses its in-house expertise for public transport projects. Levy gave the example of the Grand Paris Express, the capital region's ambitious Metro expansion, to build four new fully automated Metro lines at the edges of the 'greater Paris region' READ MORE: Grand Paris Express: The French capital's ambitious expansion plan "The idea is that after they're done planning and building, the bureaucracy will be used to build similar things in the main provincial cities. They realise they have this very competent project delivery vehicle, so might as well use it for things beyond Paris," the researcher added. Advertisement Legal structures A slight authoritarian streak may also help things along, according to Yves Crozet, who now serves as the mayor of the Saint-Germain-la-Montagne commune in the Loire département in central France, who spent most of his career teaching and researching transport economics. Crozet noted that in France, a public body is created by the government to run the transport project. With the Grand Paris Express, the public enterprise Société de Grand Paris was created with the right to collect taxes and raise funds, and then decide between construction bids for the lines. After the public consultation process, French transport projects receive a déclaration d'utilité publique (DUP, or declaration of public utility). Once this has been activated, purchase of land can begin - with compulsory purchases permitted if people don't want to sell up to the railways. "Building high-speed rail in Germany, for example, is harder because it is more difficult to oppose people who do not want to sell their land. Here in France, we are in a centralised system, it's a little authoritarian." Advertisement Geography Then some factors might be considered more luck than judgement, such as France's geography. Crozet said: "The first reason TGV has done well in France is geography. We have a central capital city, and the other cities are smaller. "If you want to go from Lyon or Bordeaux to Paris, then you need to travel a long distance, so it makes sense to build a high-speed network. For example, in Switzerland, you don't need high-speed rail, as it is a small country." This was echoed by Alon Levy, who noted that French high-speed lines tend to be built on agricultural land and involve few tunnels, making them cheaper to construct. It also helped that France had a vast rail network already, which meant that as the TGV was being developed it was often a case of adapting existing lines, rather than building tracks from scratch. Advertisement The best versus the rest But is it fair to say French rail is great - or more accurate to say that French high-speed rail is great? One key fact about the French rail network is that the country is home to over 27,000 km of train tracks - and of that, 2,800km is high-speed rail, or lignes à grande vitesse. That means that nine-tenths of the country's rail does not offer the impressive TGV services, but is a mixture of TER local trains and commuter networks, like the Paris region's Transilien line. "France is really good at transport in cities and for travelling between cities, but it is awful if you need to go from one town to another town," Jon Worth, railway commentator and blogger , who is based in rural Burgundy, told The Local. READ MORE: ANALYSIS: Will France's rural rail networks be revived? "France de facto decided to prioritise Paris, and it is difficult to tell what has been an explicit decision and what has been unintended consequences of perhaps well-intended decisions," Worth said. When building the high-speed network, SNCF opted for a 'hub and spoke' model, connecting major cities to the capital, as well as an airline model, where passengers must reserve seats. "This has turned into profit-maximising, and there is no flexibility in the system. Imagine: you're based in Paris and your grandma is in Toulon. Your grandma falls ill, and you need to travel tomorrow…chances are you won't be able to do it because every train will be full. "SNCF is proud of the fact that most of its TGV seats are full and almost half of its trains sell out, but from a railway perspective, that means that the public cannot get to where they need to be at the last second. There is no spare capacity in the system. "Then on the other hand, SNCF says they don't have the money to maintain the tracks for the old lignes classiques, the historic network of non-high-speed tracks which serve the local TER services. "While the rest of Europe discusses reopening old regional lines, France is talking about how they are in danger of closing. "So France might be better than other countries, like the UK, at high-speed rail, but I would argue that the UK is better at commuter and regional rail than France. Instead of investing in high-speed, the UK has tried to ring every last bit of capacity out of its classic network. "This means that between two medium-sized towns in UK, you might have a train once an hour, while in France, if you want to do the same thing, there might be three trains a day. "Ultimately, it depends on how countries set their priorities, and my preference would be the German strategy over the French one. Even though trains might be behind schedule, they do run regional trains around the clock. "In France, a two-class system has been created on French railways. Anyone will take the TGV, including rich people, but that cannot be said for the TER, which is mainly people who are too young or too old to drive, or too poor to have a car." "I would take the view that it should be normal for any person to take any type of train," Worth said. What do you think of France's railway system? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Is the US finally on track to build a high-speed rail network?
The US is a country of 340 million people, 71 interstate highways, more than 5,000 public airports, and currently no high-speed railways. Yet with two high-speed rail (HSR) projects now under construction, and others planned, is the US finally on track to start catching up with the fast trains seen in China, Japan and Europe? Rick Harnish, of US campaign group High Speed Rail Alliance, says it is at least good to see the first two schemes being built. "The first is the San Francisco to Los Angeles route," he explains. "That's an incredibly challenging route to build because of the mountains in California. "Then there's Las Vegas to Los Angeles, a relatively easy project to build, as it is flat land." In addition, there are plans for a HSR line from Portland in Oregon to Seattle in Washington State, and onto Vancouver in Canada. And another between Dallas and Houston. Yet Mr Harnish warns that planning efforts for the former are "moving slowly", while the Texas line is now more doubtful after President Trump's government cancelled a $63.9m (£48m) grant. By marked contrast, the total length of China's HSR network will reportedly exceed 50,000 km (31,000 miles) this year. Meanwhile, the European Union has 8,556 km of HSR lines, led by Spain's 3,190 km. In the UK, the only current HSR line is High Speed 1, the 68 miles link between the Channel Tunnel and London St Pancreas. But High Speed 2 continues to be constructed from London Euston to Birmingham, despite well-publicised funding issues. While there is no universally agreed definition on what constitutes HSR, global railways trade group International Union of Railways says that trains generally need to be moving at more than 250 km/h (155 mph). So why does US lag behind Europe and especially China? "We're a very car-addicted nation," says American rail industry journalist and author Will Doig. "There's lots of people who just don't think we need it, or don't really want it coming through their area. "And the US government has really shown a willingness to shut down investment in a lot of projects, especially rail." Further complicating the situation in the US is that the boss of the government-owned passenger train service Amtrak, Stephen Gardner, resigned last month. It was widely reported that he stood down after pressure from the White House. Amtrak currently does not operate any HSR trains. Later this year it is due to enter 28 new 160mph NextGen Acela trains into service on its Northeast Corridor route between Boston and Washington DC. However, only around 50 miles of the 457-mile line can presently allow trains to travel at more than 150mph. Amtrak is not involved in the high-speed lines being built in California and Nevada. The LA to San Francisco project, called California High-Speed Rail, is being led by the state of California, and due to be completed by 2033. The line from Los Angeles to Las Vegas, Brightline West, is a privately-run project. It is expected to open in 2028. Globally, there are 23 nations with HSR, according to Mr Harnish. His non-profit organisation has the sole mission of bringing it to the US. Allowing HSR trains to run safely is far from straightforward, he adds. "You can't have any crossings with highways, it needs to be very straight and a sealed corridor." In China the country is still building more and more HSR lines, with the total distance expected to reach around 60,000km by 2030. Chinese cities that get HSR links see their economies increase by 14.2%, according to data from Denmark-based think tank 21st Europe. Chinese firms are also helping to build HSR systems in other Asian countries, such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. Will Doig, who wrote a book called High-Speed Empire, Chinese Expansion, and the Future of Southeast Asia, says that China is not just interested in helping its neighbours improve their rail networks. "It is a way of China spreading its influence across a region that it felt was geopolitically strategic," he says. "In some of these cases, countries have taken out loans from China so that China can then build the railways." He warns that this may put them "in a position where they're beholden to China". Europe's growing HSR network is testament to the continent's history of investing in its public infrastructure, says Kaave Pour from 21st Europe. His think tank is now calling for further expansion of HSR, so that it connects most capitals and main cities in the EU, and those in the UK. Mr Pour says that if the US wants to develop HSR it needs to start with a cultural shift, a move towards more public transport, and asking itself "what type of future does it want?". Mr Harnish from the High Speed Rail Alliance says that in order for HSR to work in the US, "the federal government is an essential component". Yet as already flagged, the White House has pulled the plug on giving the planned high-speed line between Houston and Dallas a federal grant. US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy described the project as a "waste of taxpayers' money". Scott Sherin is an executive at French train manufacturer Alstom. His firm is suppling Amtrak's new high-speed trains, but he questions whether the US has the political will "to spend the public purse on rail versus other modes of transportation". He also notes that any future HSR lines would struggle to get into city centres such as Dallas and Houston, because there are too many buildings. "The issue is that the cities are so densely built [in their centres]". Will Doig says that going forward he would love to see China helping to build more HSR in the US, but that he is not holding his breath. "It's politically very difficult," he says. "Which is too bad because without the animosity between the US and China, you could see how a partnership between them could really create great things for America, that America is not so good at building itself."
CBC
26-02-2025
- General
- CBC
P.E.I. man refuses to pay his power bill until Maritime Electric can explain why it's so high
Social Sharing Many P.E.I. residents have taken to social media in recent weeks to raise questions about what they consider inexplicably high power bills from Maritime Electric. Brackley resident Kirk Harnish has been facing the threat of Maritime Electric turning his power off because he hasn't paid his bill for the past two months. He's convinced it's not accurate. "The last little while, they're getting just a little bit beyond. You can't manage with electric bills like this," he said. "My bills were probably maximum around $300 a year ago and now they're $400, $600 and more." Harnish said his power-using habits have stayed exactly the same over the past year, and he heats his home entirely with wood. Yet his bills for December and January were $200 to $300 more than he expected — and nearly double what they were during those months one year ago. Harnish called Maritime Electric to question whether there's a problem with the meter that records his electricity usage, but he hasn't gotten any answers. "All I want is some satisfaction to see what's going on here, why my light bill is so high," he said. "I don't mind paying the bill if you know it's true, or you can get some satisfaction if you know something is going wrong." Dozens of other Islanders have raised similar concerns on social media this winter, as well as through emails to CBC News. Meanwhile, people in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick are also complaining about their high power bills. The New Brunswick government has actually asked NB Power to conduct an independent audit after widespread complaints from customers. 'How can people afford this?' Donna Glass lives in Morell, but moves to British Columbia during the winter months. Each winter, she turns her electric heat way down in her P.E.I. home while she is gone. This year, Glass said, she unplugged even more appliances than in years past. Many Islanders questioning why this winter's power is costing hundreds of dollars more each month 2 hours ago Duration 2:31 Many Maritime Electric customers on Prince Edward Island have taken to social media to complain about electricity bills coming in hundreds of dollars higher than they did for the same winter month a year ago. The CBC's Steve Bruce looked into the matter for them. Even so, her Maritime Electric bill jumped from about $400 last January to $550 this January. "I have less things plugged in, and I know it's been a little bit colder in P.E.I. for the month of January, but I'm still just in shock that it's $552," Glass said. "If you're paying a mortgage and other bills, how can people afford this?" The Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission, which approves the prices Maritime Electric charges to customers, said power rates have increased 2.5 per cent between December 2023 and now. Glass said that still doesn't explain why the electricity usage shown on her bill jumped 60 per cent. She wants to have an energy audit conducted on her Morell home, adding that she is thinking about selling the house if her bill continues to go up. "I'm over 65 so I'm thinking of downsizing anyway. But I thought I might just sell my home and let somebody else deal with this problem," Glass said. "I'm thinking, if it's this high in an empty home, what would the bill be if I was home?" A colder winter? Maritime Electric didn't make anyone available for an interview with CBC News, but a spokesperson said in an email that the utility's not getting any more calls than usual about strangely high bills and usage. The utility suggested the issue may just be that this winter has been colder than the last one. December 2024 was indeed about three degrees colder overall, while January was one degree colder. Rob Hoadley, a mechanical engineer and heating specialist in Fredericton, N.B., said those seemingly small temperature changes could have a big effect on someone's bill, even if they're using more energy-efficient sources like heat pumps. "It makes a difference, especially when we get those very cold, –20, –25 nights. If in a given month we have more and more and more of those nights, you're really going to notice that on your bill," Hoadley said. "Heat pumps love temperatures above –20. They function fantastically. But there will come a point where your heat pump can't produce heat effectively anymore." The coldest part of the year doesn't really make a difference to me because I'm heating with wood. — Kirk Harnish Harnish isn't satisfied with the colder-weather explanation for his big bills, given he doesn't heat with electricity. "That's the excuse that I get from Maritime Electric. They always say, 'Well, we're living in the coldest part of the year,'" he said. "The coldest part of the year doesn't really make a difference to me because I'm heating with wood and my lifestyle's not really changing in the house." After his interview with CBC News, Harnish said Maritime Electric did show up at his house and installed a second meter to compare its readings with his existing one. He's now waiting now on the results. The utility has not disconnected Harnish's power at this point. Islanders who have questions about their bill are encouraged to reach out to Maritime Electric. If you're still not satisfied, you can file a complaint with the Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission.
