Rural trains could be axed for buses

A NUMBER of rural train services in France could be axed and replaced by coaches after an official report found large parts of the network were too expensive and polluting.

The French national audit office, the Cour des Comptes, said trains in some rural areas were running near-empty - causing unnecessary pollution as many of the lines are not electrified and the trains are powered by diesel. The average capacity level across the network is just 26%.

The report urges regional councils to carefully examine their train network and find areas where a coach service, a minibus or even a taxi would work better.
According to the auditors, reliability and the quality of the trains has improved since the TER (train express régional) network was reformed in 2002 and passenger numbers have risen by 27% since then.

However the operation is costly, with running costs at €2.7bn a year - about €11 per train per kilometre according to Le Figaro - a figure that could easily be cut back, the report says.
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