Main issue that will become the railwaymen 52

The recent series of rupture of catenary wires have cost dear to the SNCF. First in monetary terms: with total paralysis from the station of Aubagne in mid-August, the railway company would have lost "between 5 and 10 million euros, compensation, assistance measures and hotel rooms", recognizes Guillaume Pepy, its President. But especially in terms of image, that recognizes its leader who stressed "the important echo" met by these incidents and endless delays that followed.

To show that it was not left hands in the pockets, the SNCF has just announce the launch of a broad diagnosis of its lines. "What happened to Aubagne or the Montparnasse train station last week is unacceptable for the company, should be better controlled," insists Guillaume Pepy. The company is therefore tackle check 10,000 of its 15,000 km of overhead lines these cables suspended by callback arms that fuel trains in power by the end of September. At the same time, 250 sensitive points of the network will be especially inspected. Finally, during this period, the pantographs of the SNCF 6.600 these arm articulated connecting the motor to the catenary will be also inspected, what is "a first in twenty years to the SNCF", according to Guillaume Pepy. In total, "1,500 officers will be mobilised by this operation, which will allow us to reduce the number of incidents of catenary to 350 may be 320", against 400 today.

This "operation truth, without taboo or concession" was not really welcomed by trade unions. For the latter, the current problems are rather in the lack of resources given to the maintenance by the SNCF and the difficult with rail network France cohabitation (RFF). "RFF and SNCF may well continue to be the blame for years: during this time, users and railway workers suffer the consequences of maintenance is more assured as it should be", and storm South-Rail.

RFF in lack of workforce

These critics refer to the Organization of the rail system in France. Since its inception in 1997, RFF is the owner of the network. Problem: it does not have the manpower requirements to ensure the maintenance, and therefore call on the SNCF to do this. In a report last April, the Court of Auditors was very critical with this organization, deploring that "sharing of responsibilities between the two institutions remains very confused" and that RFF "did has not been with the means to exercise its missions". A situation which explains that the network is highly degraded, requiring the SNCF to slow its trains over 1,200 kilometres of track.

Voices are high for reforming this system, as well to improve maintenance policy and to ensure equality of treatment in the allocation of train paths to new entrants. Awaited, Senator UMP upper Rhine, Hubert Haenel, prepares a report the budget Act of 1997 that led to the birth of RFF for this fall. "With attention I await its findings, and legislation could follow based on their contents," said Dominique Bussereau, Secretary of State for transport. "I am not prepared to return to a single centralized business model, but will need to take into account the shortcomings of the Act of 1997," continued.

Main issue: that will become the railwaymen 52.400 branch infrastructure of the SNCF, which ensure the operation of the lines and maintenance Transfer to RFF, and it is "the social explosion assured", according to a specialist in the sector. SNCF proposes, it to create an independent leadership to 14.400 agents dedicated to operations (air traffic controllers, officers of the regional centres operational and horairistes) of the domestic infrastructure, with a view notably to reassure competition for equal treatment in the distribution of the grooves. For Hervé Mariton (read below), it is the whole of the infrastructure that must take more autonomy, to also optimize maintenance. The issue could be resolved by the end of the year.