Night train illustration in a former Intercité -

JEROME MARS / JDD / SIPA

The government is counting on the creation of "a dozen" night train lines in France by 2030, which will revolve around the planned European connections, the two remaining lines in France and the two others recently announced in the recovery plan, announced the Minister of Transport, Jean-Baptiste Djebbari, this Sunday at Parisien.

“My ambition is around ten night trains in 2030” organized around four major “corridors” (Bordeaux-Marseille, Dijon-Marseille, Tours-Lyon via Ile-de-France, and Paris-Toulouse) , announced the minister.

Paris-Nice and Paris-Tarbes soon relaunched

These proposals come from a report to parliamentarians on the night intercités which must be made public soon, says the newspaper.

"With the ecological issues, the + flygskam + (Swedish term which designates the shame of taking the plane) and the pandemic which is redesigning the way we travel, the night train has everything to seduce", indicates the minister, stressing that ' there are 28 lines in Austria.

“In France, the development of the TGV has eaten up the night trains and the supply has deteriorated.

We have to change that, ”he said.

France currently has only two night train connections, compared to eight in 2015: Paris-Briançon (Hautes-Alpes) and Paris-La-Tour-de-Carol (Pyrénées Orientales).

The recovery plan, announced last September, provides for the relaunch of the Paris-Nice and Paris-Tarbes lines, with funding of 100 million euros, for the renovation of 50 cars by 2022. These two lines should open "in April and December 2021," said the minister.

The European green pact to finance lines

Beyond 2022, "given the important work to be carried out on the network, it will be complicated to open many others until 2025", admits Jean-Baptiste Djebarri who is counting on funding under the pact. European green (“green deal”) to finance the rest of the lines.

The European Union has made the relaunch of night trains one of its priorities with the signing at the end of 2020 of a cooperation agreement between the national railway companies of Germany, Austria, France and Switzerland.

In this context, from France, a night Paris-Vienne should notably see the light of day in December 2021.

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