A report from the Infrastructure Orientation Council (COI) calls into question the non-renewal of the Corail trains of the Transversale Sud which joins Marseille and Bordeaux via Toulouse. The COI warns of a reduced or even eliminated service in the years to come.
The SNCF Intercités of the Marseille-Bordeaux line, which pass through Toulouse, will not be equipped with new trains in the years to come. Blame it on the government’s budgetary choices, according to our colleagues from France 3 Occitania. Unlike the Paris-Orléans-Limoges-Toulouse (POLT) line, its counterpart in the South will still have to wait.
Read also :
Hautes-Pyrénées: the collective “Yes to the night train” wants to relaunch night crossings
And according to a report from the Infrastructure Orientation Council (IOC)unveiled by the specialized site Mobilettre, the decision not to replace the trains on the Marseille-Toulouse-Bordeaux line could be detrimental to its proper functioning… or even trigger a reduction in service in the years to come. Is the increasingly busy Transversale Sud in danger?
“Their dilapidation at the origin of recurring problems”
The line is made up of 163 Corail type cars which have been circulating for an average of 44 years according to the COI report. The organization explains that they no longer correspond “to customer expectations and accessibility standards, and arrive in the very short term of 2 to 3 years at the end of their potential”. But one point is even more problematic: “Their dilapidation is the cause of recurring reliability problems, and already leads to having to reduce the composition of the trains”, according to the report.
For the COI, “it is likely that the Bordeaux-Marseille and night lines will have their service reduced, or even abolished, between 2027 and 2033 approximately, taking into account the construction times necessary in all cases for workshops and rolling stock. “
Read also :
SNCF: why is it advisable to book train tickets before January 10?
This report established, the COI issues recommendations and invites the government to buy trains “as soon as possible” for the Transversale Sud. The same as for the Paris-Orléans-Limoges-Toulouse (POLT) line. “A rapid commitment also makes it possible not to interrupt the production chain (…) The urgency of the renewal before delisting of the Corail cars does not seem to leave time for an alternative assembly. A postponement would also lead to incurring ‘lost fund’ expenses for the extension of the Corail cars.” The Council’s report is advisory. The ball is now in the government’s court.
