France will extend a plan to renovate local rail lines used for freight and support companies investing in quieter trains.
The government will continue to spend an annual EUR 10 million (USD 12 billion) through 2020 to local authorities and businesses to modernize lines that connect with wider roads. It will spend 20 million euros to help companies renew equipment. “Rail freight is a priority,” Transport Minister Alain Vidalies said.
Vidalies also announced the state would spend EUR 90 million to a SNCF subsidiary to compensate for extra charges it paid to use infrastructure. That’s on top of a 10 million-euro investment to connect harbors to train lines. In total, a sum of 150 million euros will be invested.
Rail freight has been losing share to road haulage, partly due to the state of the network, the minister said.
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