French government sets rail growth targets as performance contract with SNCF Réseau renewed

By Railway Gazette International | June 8 2026

SNCF Reseau/Jean-Jacques d'Angelo

FRANCE: The government has agreed a further performance contract with infrastructure manager SNCF Réseau that envisages a 25% increase in rail traffic over the period to 2033.

The goal of the performance contract is to facilitate the operation of nearly 800 000 additional passenger and freight trains compared to 2024, driven by passenger demand and the arrival of new entrants as well as the projected growth in rail freight over the period.

To support modal shift, the performance contract also aims to increase rail freight traffic by nearly 20%. This is to be achieved by improving the quality of long-distance freight paths as well as providing greater predictability and visibility over the next five years regarding available paths and planned engineering blockades.

The contractual agreement with the state comes against a backdrop of major structural reforms being undertaken under the Ambition France Transport programme. A package of legislation now being assessed by parliamentarians is intended to overhaul the management of funding for rail and public transport. This will help to bridge a chronic gap in infrastructure funding and deliver the SERM suburban rail development programme in full.

Under the latest agreement, SNCF Réseau is to receive €4.5bn/year from 2028 for modernisation of the network. This represents a 50% increase to the previous contract, and should allay fears among rail advocates that the government was havering on a commitment to boost the resources available to the state railway group.

The annual allocation will be indexed to inflation to ensure the sustainability of the investment level over time. The contract also makes provision for infrastructure renewal to be speeded up and for the maintenance backlog that has built up to be reduced.

Each year, 1 000 km of track is planned for renewal, compared with 750 km/year at present. A provision has also been made for a 25% increase in the renovation of overhead electrification equipment using what are described as ‘innovative industrial methods’. This should see more than 3 200 km of overhead lines renewed by 2033. Annual refurbishment work on bridges, tunnels and culverts will increase to 45 compared to around 30 currently.

‘With this draft contract, the state is setting clear, ambitious and transparent targets for SNCF Réseau regarding network availability and performance, to ensure that passenger and freight services can operate with the highest possible standard of service’, said Minister for Transport Philippe Tabarot when the draft contract was announced on June 2.