Elected officials from the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region voted on Monday in favor of a new TER operating agreement with SNCF covering the period 2024-2030, during which the community will gradually open up its lines to competition.
A first geographic lot will be awarded in the old Poitou-Charentes “to be put into service by the new beneficiary in 2027” and “at least another two” of the remaining three (Bordeaux basin, Limousin-Périgord and South Aquitaine) will be awarded for the end of the mandate of the socialist Alain Rousset in 2028.
After four hours of debate and examination of amendments, the text proposed by Alain Rousset’s executive was adopted thanks to the votes of the center and the right.
Opposition from PCF, EELV and RN
The elected communists, allies of Alain Rousset, ecologists and the National Group had announced that they would vote against the “privatization” of the TER, which according to them is detrimental to the quality of service for users.
European legislation obliges the regions to submit the operation of the TERs to competition from the end of December 2023. Until that date, they have the possibility of renewing their agreement with the SNCF for a maximum period of ten years. The Provence-Alpes Côte d’Azur and Hauts-de-France regions anticipated the deadline by awarding the first lots, while Occitanie chose to delay it as much as possible; most have chosen the path of gradual opening.
The railway unions (CGT, Sud Rail, CGDT, Unsa) had called a protest demonstration in front of the Hôtel de Région. According to them, the division of the network into lots is synonymous with a “territorial fracture that no longer guarantees the continuity of the public mission in the stations and on board the trains”.
Source: BFM TV
