The patient has been suffering for a long time but is still alive. Long used as a means of transport to circulate food goods on French territory, rail freight is “at its lowest” according to several observers. Without maintenance and suffering from competition from road transport, the freight train has seen many of its lines close in recent decades, pushing several sectors to rely on trucks rather than locomotives. The urgency to act against global warming combined with soaring fuel prices could, however, contribute to raising the patient. In Brittany, initiatives are springing up here and there to try to save what can still be saved.
“A train is the equivalent of 50 trucks”
On the old locomotive, we do not find the logo of the SNCF but that of the Cooperl. We are here close to Vitré, in the small town of Montreuil-sous-Pérouse (Ille-et-Vilaine). At the foot of the silos which are used to store food intended for animal nutrition for farmers who are members of Cooperl, one of the smallest stations in France. There is no bench, no ticket office, not even a platform, just a small shelter which symbolizes the terminus. “We had to reduce our volumes in recent years, particularly because of the state of the tracks. We were very afraid that the line would close,” recognizes Denis Ollivry, director of the Cooperl Nutrition site. The largest livestock feed factory sees the arrival of 170 trains loaded with cereals per year, which leave empty for the center of France. Here, the train does not prevent the coming and going of trucks but it reduces it. “A train is the equivalent of 50 trucks. We bring in 12,500 a year but we avoid 8,000 with the rail, ”continues the director.
Currently, only 15 freight trains run every day in Brittany. A starving figure which is due to the total absence of investment for decades. Because if the train is clean, it is also very expensive. To renovate 1.5 kilometers of rails between Vitré and the Cooperl site, one million euros were needed. Other heavy investments are already expected to deal with the other 5 kilometers leading to Vitré station. Financed in large part by the State and the region, the renovation will only benefit a private player, who will also benefit from a substantial saving on the price of transport. However, maintenance is the responsibility of SNCF Réseau (formerly RFF) which will only pay 10% of the bill. “We must not waste our energy looking for the culprit of this abandonment. French freight is at its lowest but we must look ahead, define a real rail strategy for the region. You can’t sell dreams and put the train everywhere, it makes no sense and it’s not possible. You have to put it in the right places,” explains Loïc Hénaff.
Detox from the truck
The regional freight adviser is waiting to hear the conclusions of a major study launched by the region last year to see where to invest. The results should be known after the summer. “We have to prioritize construction sites to get rid of the truck. This is not always possible because the train has its constraints. Volumes are needed, avoid load breaks. We can do this for a lot of goods such as sand, gravel, foodstuffs that are not ultra-fresh,” he continues. In Brittany, there is plenty to do, but you will have to hurry.
In 2025, the State plans to increase rail freight traffic in France by 50%. What will be the progress in Brittany? “It’s impossible to say with precision. But we need to build rail highways. A train is 50 trucks! When we said that, we summed it all up, ”continues Didier Doré, sub-prefect of Fougères-Vitré. The work is great, the challenge immense.