Subsidies, expenses, investments... How much does the SNCF cost French taxpayers?

Margaux Fodéré // Photo credit: Magali Cohen / Hans Lucas / Hans Lucas via AFP 6:50 a.m., February 16, 2024

It's a dark weekend ahead at the stations. Only 1 in 2 trains are expected due to the SNCF controllers' strike. Enough to annoy the thousands of travelers who are expected for this weekend of departure on vacation. Travelers all the more annoyed because the SNCF is already costing them dearly!

SNCF cost 20 billion euros in 2022

TGV ticket prices increased by 5% on average in 2023. And that's not all: the railway company is a public company, financed by the State and therefore by taxpayers. In 2022, the SNCF cost French businesses and households 20 billion euros. First there are subsidies from the State and regions to maintain and improve the network. 

Investment expenses to which is added the assumption of part of the SNCF debt: "The sums are really important: we are between 5 and 8 billion (euros, editor's note) in various subsidies and varied which are paid by the public authorities to the SNCF Réseau", explains Patricia Pérennes, economist specializing in rail transport.

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Operating expenses and special regime

Then, we must also take into account the public subsidies paid to the SNCF to buy the trains and run the trains. Operating expenses, but not for all trains: "How much does the State give for the TGVs? The answer is 0. The TER and the Transiliens, for once, they are not profitable and therefore there, it There are subsidies paid each year. It's a little more than three billion for the TER, and it's two billion for the Transiliens. And if we add the Intercités, we're not far from what is paid public power at SNCF Réseau »

Finally, each year, the State also contributes more than 3 billion euros to finance railway workers' pensions.