The State will help "to the tune of several billion euros" the SNCF, faced with a heavy shortfall in particular due to the health crisis, says the Minister for Transport, Jean-Baptiste Djebbari in an interview with Le Figarodated this Thursday.
"Several options are on the table: the recapitalization of the group or the recovery of an additional part of the debt, for example," said Jean-Baptiste Djebbari in this interview. "Are we going to use one option over another or mix up solutions?" he continues, stressing that "the arbitrations have not yet been rendered".
A hole in the budget
In mid-June, SNCF CEO Jean-Pierre Farandou estimated that the Covid-19 crisis alone should cost the railway operator nearly four billion euros in turnover. If we add the loss of turnover linked to the strikes against the pension reform, estimated at one billion euros, the shortfall for the SNCF is some 5 billion euros since last December.
"If the State invests considerable sums, it expects in return that the SNCF has a high level economic, environmental and social performance", warns the Minister Delegate.
The return of the night trains
Mr. Djebbari also indicates that he wants to "relaunch rail freight in France" and in particular have proposed to the Prime Minister "to lower tolls for companies operating on the national network". The government also aims "to relaunch by 2022 two additional night trains with, why not, a Paris-Nice to start", said the Minister Delegate.
Planet
Ecology: Why Emmanuel Macron wants to relaunch night trains (when the State no longer wanted them)?
Society
Coronavirus: SNCF is testing the temperature of travelers
- Covid 19
- Coronavirus
- Transport