Paris (AFP)

SNCF CEO Jean-Pierre Farandou on Wednesday called on the public authorities to launch a recovery plan for the railway, which would give air to the finances of the public group, damaged by the coronavirus crisis.

"I hope that the Parliament and the government will be at the rendezvous of a revival of the SNCF and a revival of the railway (...) in particular on freight and on the network," he said. before the Commission for Sustainable Development of the National Assembly.

This leads to "real cash flow difficulties" and "difficulty in arbitrating on investments" when the group has to borrow, not to mention "difficulties linked to the resumption of activity".

"The box is holding up," he reassured.

But "one of the objectives of the recovery plan could allow us to regain an investment capacity", he pointed out. "We have a subject of financial balance."

SNCF having become a public limited company on January 1, it cannot therefore go into debt without counting, added Mr. Farandou.

"We do not know exactly how quickly the activity will resume and I will not hide from you that I am worried about the TGV" which transported only 1% of the usual traffic during confinement, and whose capacity is up to again limited to 50% to respect the rules of distancing, he also told MEPs.

Mr. Farandou was also worried about the sustainability of the network renovation plan, especially since it was to be partly funded by dividends from SNCF Voyageurs (with revenues from TGV).

"Now these dividends, you understand, in 2020 and certainly 2021 will be reduced to the bare minimum", he pointed out, recalling that SNCF Network would also have to face new charges - especially to do without of glyphosate.

"We are in a situation of survival" in the rail freight sector, noted Mr. Farandou at the same time, calling once again for direct state aid for the whole sector, as in Austria.

On the social level, "there has never been and there will never be dry layoffs at the SNCF", he reassured.

"We will watch how activity resumes. (...) We will see more clearly in the fall," he noted, before insisting: "No panic around the job."

© 2020 AFP