"Throughout the trial, I will contest the faults which are alleged" at SNCF Réseau, "but I want to assure" the victims and their families "that the feelings are sincere when I address these few words to them", a declared Tuesday morning at the bar Robert Mathevet, asking to speak during an introductory remark.

"I know I can't put myself in their shoes. I can only imagine the immense pain that was theirs and still is theirs," he continued, assuring that "this drama (had) was a shock for the company, a kind of stupefaction".

Each SNCF railway worker remembers "where he was, what he was doing, when he learned of the accident", insisted Mr. Mathevet.

“We cannot forget that, that day, the unthinkable happened”.

Three defendants have been on trial since Monday before the Evry Criminal Court, and until June 17, for "involuntary homicides" and "involuntary injuries" after the derailment of a train on July 12, 2013, which left seven dead and more. of 400 wounded.

Among these three defendants, two legal persons: the National SNCF Company (criminal heiress of SNCF Infra in charge of maintenance) and the SNCF Network track manager (which succeeded Réseau Ferré de France, RFF).

They each incur a fine of up to 225,000 euros.

Trial of the Brétigny train disaster in 2013 Sylvie HUSSON AFP

The third defendant is a former railway executive, local director aged 24 at the time of the events.

This father faces up to three years in prison and a fine of 45,000 euros.

Tuesday, the day is devoted to the presentation of the two legal entities and the links uniting them at the time of the events.

The prosecution accuses SNCF Réseau in particular of "faults" having "led to the absence of early renewal" of the track or to "insufficient staffing" and failures "in the organization, control and performance of maintenance operations" to the Société Nationale SNCF.

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"Did RFF know?" Asked the president of the chamber, Cécile Louis-Loyant.

"Did RFF have to know more? What transparency of the information held by SNCF? What readability between RFF and SNCF, at the start?", She pointed out, in search of answers on the link between the two entities.

© 2022 AFP