The Minister of Ecological Transition, Christophe Béchu, announced on Thursday that the first metropolitan RER projects selected to obtain state support will be known “within six months”, during a trip on this topic to Tours. On Monday, the Senate adopted the bill that allows the deployment of these “express metropolitan regional services” (Serm).
France’s commitments to reduce emissions by 2030
Christophe Béchu also gave his personal support to the Touraine project, “particularly well worked out”: “It has an important advantage which is the pre-existence of this railway star. There are places in France where people say: “I want a metropolitan RER”, but There is everything to build,” he stressed.
Christophe Béchu recalled France’s commitments to reduce emissions by 2030: “2030 is the day after tomorrow, and in railway matters, taking into account the time needed to get things going, everything that can allow rapid progress and rapid changes in behavior and reduction of emissions are obviously something that we have every interest in promoting,” the minister insisted.
He also welcomed the desire to offer a service to all inhabitants of the department and not just those of Tours, thanks to a combination of high-service buses, cycle paths and the development of the tram.
Temporary financing of 767 million euros promised to regions
At the moment the number of Serm projects is unknown. President Emmanuel Macron announced in September his desire to launch “13 projects.” There will be in any case “more than ten”, according to the Ministry of Ecological Transition. Some are already very advanced, even on the right track, as in Strasbourg or Bordeaux.
During Monday’s vote on the bill, which was widely adopted, senators questioned the financing of these Serms. Its cost is estimated between 15 and 20 billion euros over ten years. For the moment, the State has promised 767 million euros to help the regions finance these projects, which “is not exhaustive and definitive financing,” promised the Minister of Transport, Clément Beaune. A national funding conference must be held by June 30, 2024.
Source: BFM TV
