SNCF
SNCF (Société Nationale des Chemins de fer Français) (French National Railway Company) is a French public enterprise. Its functions include operation of rail services for passengers and freight, and maintenance as well as signalling of rail infrastructure owned by RFF (Réseau Ferré de France). It employs about 180,000 people. The rail network consists of about 32,000 km of route, of which 1,500 km is high-speed line and 14,500 km is electrified. About 14,000 trains are operated daily. The chairman of SNCF is Anne Marie Idrac. Its headquarters is in Paris, in the Rue du Commandant Mouchotte.
Scope of business
SNCF operates almost all of France's railway system, including the TGV (Train à Grande Vitesse, literally "high-speed train") and some segments of the RER.
In the past, SNCF owned not only the trains, but also the tracks, but this has changed due to new European Union regulations. Since 1997 the tracks and other rail infrastructure have belonged to a separate government establishment, the Réseau Ferré de France; this change was intended to open the market to independent train operating companies, although few have yet appeared. There have been claims that this is mainly due to very restrictive regulations that are allegedly motivated by protectionism. For example, the licensing procedure for the multi-system ICE3M took four years, while the same train was allowed onto tracks in the Netherlands and Belgium within a year of its introduction.
History
SNCF was formed in 1938 on the nationalisation of France's five main railways. These were the:
- Chemin de Fer de l'Est
- Chemin de Fer de l'État (formed in 1909 from the merger of the Chemin de Fer de l'État and the Chemins de Fer de l'Ouest)
- Chemin de Fer du Nord
- Chemin de Fer de Paris à Lyon et à la Méditerranée (PLM)
- Chemin de Fer de Paris à Orléans et du Midi (PO-Midi, formed in 1934 from the merger of the Chemin de Fer de Paris à Orléans and the Chemin de Fer du Midi)
The French state took 51% ownership of SNCF and has since put large amounts of public subsidies into the system. In the 1970s, SNCF began the TGV high speed train programme with the intention of creating the world's fastest railway network. It came to fruition in 1981, when the first TGV service, from Paris to Lyon, was inaugurated. TGV lines and the TGV technology have since spread to several other European countries plus South Korea.
Role during World War II
On 16 May 2006 the SNCF and the French State were successfully taken to the administrative court for complicity in crimes against humanity by the Father of MEP Alain Lipietz, because of their role in transporting members of his family to the Drancy deportation camp during World War II. They were subsequently jointly fined 64,000 euro[1], but the judgement was appealed. Previous similar attempts by others in the civil courts had failed. SNCF argued that they were required to transport Jews by the Vichy regime and the Nazis, and that they had never taken the initiative. However SNCF chose to transport them in cattle wagons (stock cars), as it was done for soldiers, and invoiced the state for 3rd class tickets.[2][3]. Hundreds of SNCF employees (cheminots) were killed for acts of Resistance during World War II, 2480 were deported (Among them, 1100 died), 2361 killed at work (Bombings, landmines, ...).
Regionalisation
Since the 90s, SNCF has been selling train cars to regional governments in an effort to give trains times and needs more attention.
World speed records
SNCF's TGV has set many world speed records, the most recent on April 3, 2007, when a new version of the TGV, dubbed the V150, with larger wheels than the usual TGV, was able to cover more ground with each rotation and a stronger, 25,000-horsepower engine, broke the world speed record for conventional rail trains, reaching 574.8 km/h (357.2 mph).[4]
Codeshare with airlines
SNCF codeshares with Air Austral, Air France, Air Tahiti Nui, American Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Continental Airlines, Middle East Airlines, Emirates, Qatar Airways and United Airlines and in exchange, allows passengers on those flights to book rail service between Charles de Gaulle International Airport in Roissy (near Paris) and Aix-en-Provence, Angers, Avignon, Bordeaux, Le Mans, Lille, Lyon Part-Dieu, Marseilles, Montpellier, Nantes, Nimes, Poiters, Rennes, Tours, and Valence with their airline. The IATA designator used by airlines in connection with these journeys is 2C.
Environment
Jacques Chirac, then French president, pledged in his 2006 New Year Address that by 2026 no SNCF or RATP train would be powered by fossil fuels.[5] This pledge confirms France's commitment to nuclear power for its energy needs, and already nuclear power stations generate most of the electricity used to power SNCF trains.
See also
- History of rail transport in France
- List of French companies
- List of SNCF locomotive and multiple-unit classes
- Transport express régional
- Corail (train)
- Transport in France
- List of SNCF stations
References
- ^ A translation of the Judgement of 6 June 2006
- ^ La SNCF et l’Etat poursuivis pour «complicité de crimes contre l’humanité» (Français). Le Figaro (2006-05-16). Retrieved on 2006-06-09.
- ^ CBC News (2006-06-07). French railway must pay for transporting family to Nazis. Retrieved on 2006-06-09.
- ^ Associated Press (2007-04-03). French Train Hits 357 MPH Breaking World Speed Record. Retrieved on 2007-04-03.
- ^ The Times, Friday, January 6 2006, p54. France will run trains free from fossil fuel, says Chirac.
External links
- SNCF web site
- Map
- SNCF UK web site
- (French) History of SNCF
- channel tunnel link
- Collection of Google Earth locations of SNCF stations (Requires Google Earth software) from the Google Earth Community forum
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