France may be ready to cut off TGV service to numbers of smaller stations to save money and speed up service. The high-speed trains currently serve 230 stations, many of them outside major urban areas.
The talk is part of a plan to reduce the €45 billion debt of SNCF, France’s rail operator, and reduce future losses. The Ministry of Transport has named former Air France chief Jean-Cyril Spinetta to come up with proposals.
Transport Minister Elizabeth Borne gave a hint at the possible cuts when she said “Airbus A380 planes do not serve Brive,” naming a small town in central France that does have TGV service.
Service to the smaller stops is often on tracks that are not purpose-built to the TGV standard, and therefore run only as fast as regional express trains. Limiting service to cities on the high-speed lines would allow faster service on numbers of routes that can handle 300 km/hr trains. As of 2014, only 60% of TGV service was on TGV lines.
