Money’s an issue for both countries’ highly-rated rail systems at the moment. Germany is gingerly raising fares, but hopes it can avoid losing passengers to lowfare airlines, and France is being warned to spend less on expanding its TGV lines and more on keeping current ones in shape.
The rises in German fares are the first in 3 years, range from 1.9% to 3.9%, with the biggest jumps on day-passes and other timed tickets, and the smallest on single straight-journey tickets. There will be no increases in the prices of BahnCards, which provide discounts of 25-50%.
With not only cheap airlines but growing networks of long-distance buses, officials of Deutsche Bahn are worried about losing business if fares go too high.
In France, meanwhile, the finance committee of the Senate told rail operator SNCF that it’s opposed to planned construction of 3 new TGV lines, and wants a 15-year moratorium on new routes, calling for an end to “projects where the socio-economic viability is doubtful, the costs are unreasonable and the finance plan is still unknown.”
Calling for adding an extra €1-2 billion a year into renovation and maintenance on top of a current €2.5 budget, committee vice-chair Marie-Hélène des Esgaulx said, “We must focus on the renovation and modernization of the existing network,” the committee’s vice president, said. “Not doing so would be a mistake.”
