This page was translated by SYSTRAN

The territorial Assembly affirms her will to give a new breath to the network of the Railroads of Corsica. One evokes even the reopening of the line of the Eastern plain.

Assumption high reserve on October 28 by the elected officials of the Corsican territorial Assembly: 700 million francs during seven next years in order to give again a true ambition with the Railway network of Corsica (CFC). It is also their answer to the Prime Minister who, in visit on the island at the beginning of October, had promised the support of the government if structuring projects were proposed to him, carrying and ambitious.
Ambitious, it is undoubtedly the case if this assumption of financing is retained.

Indeed, last 15 October, one had estimated with the neighbourhoods of 300 million francs - according to audits carried out one for the SNCF the other for the local authority - the investments necessary for the fifteen years to come, that is to say approximately 20 million francs per annum.
Compared with the 11 million francs assigned to the rail at the time of the preceding contract of plan, that had seemed too not very ambitious for the Corsican elected officials, who had joined a motion launched by the communist group. They found the fifteen years deadline too long, the too limited investments. Fifteen days later, everyone is unanimously granted to propose a partition exploited a time more limited seven years.
History to test the " ambitions " of the government for Corsica, the insular elected officials erect scaffolding three assumptions. The first envisages, for 100 million sides, a " grooming " with a kind of natural prolongation of the eleventh plan.

The second, with 150 million, opens the gate at a beginning of development and allows some purchases of hardware in order to replace ABH Renault in end of life (going back to 1954) and still circulating on the line of Balagne.

The third, with 700 million francs to the key, mobilizes the best intentions of the elected officials of the whole of the Corsican political world. The displayed top priority clearly aims at making Railroad an essential element, favourable with a new economic development of the island. With the program: beyond modernization, extension to the south of the suburbs bastiaise of the Eastern line, closed after the war, where there is no more rail but always an invaluable railway platform. The interest would reside, strongly, in freight transport, in particular concerning the delicate transport of household refuse with increasingly significant seasonal flows. A complementarity between roads, serving villages with the principal axis, and iron seems the good solution, multimode, to answer the increasing request.
In addition to this line in the east of the island, the 700 million francs would allow the Corsican railroad to pass at the definitely higher speed. With a modernization of the existing network, allowing to decrease in an appreciable way, the time of course between Bastia and Ajaccio: 2 hours 30 instead of 3 hours 15. With, also, a park equipped with new hardware on the whole of the network.
100, 150 or 700 million. the three assumptions are integrated in the schedule of conditions transmitted to the three candidates to the exploitation of the Corsican network: " new friends " of a few days, the SNCF - the " outgoing " operator - and Via GTI on a side, departmental Railroads of the other. They must give their answer - proposals for services, scenarios around an obliged maintenance of employment on their current level from here mid-January, dates to which will be open the folds. Exploitation by " the new " dealer being envisaged in spring of year 2000.
In addition to the context, policy and islander, favorable to the rail, the situation of the Railroads of Corsica encourages with a certain optimist, the year 1998, indeed, was marked by an inversion of tendency and a true revival: one counted 100 000 travellers moreover than in 1997, that is to say a total of 700 000. For the year 1999, this good course is maintained.
With, since 1998, a rise of 25 % of the traffic. Figures bound not only to the tourist season, but also to the return in the trains, throughout the year, of school subscribers, student and paid. Of the insular customer, to some extent. That to which the elected officials of the island undoubtedly have, at the time of their vote, thought in very first place.

Pascal GRASSART LVDR of the 24 nov.99

Corsica wants muscler his rail network

Thursday October 15, the territorial Assembly of Corsica was to adopt the schedule of conditions for the future one exploiting rail network. Three candidates are in string: the current one exploiting, the SNCF, VIA-gti, departmental Railroads. Mission pushed back with later, undoubtedly on October 28, laws studied 49 amendments presented. Because in a marked context, this Thursday 15, by a strike of the railwaymen to the call of the CGT and Trade union of the Corsican workers, one initially discussed sums which should be assigned to the railroad in the next contract of plan " the difficulty, it is the simultaneous management of the two files ", notes a person in charge of the territorial Assembly moderately.
At the time of the preceding contract of plan, approximately 11 million francs per annum were assigned to the rail. Two audits carried out one for the SNCF the other for the local authority estimated with the neighbourhoods of 300 million francs the investments necessary for the fifteen years to come, that is to say approximately 20 million per annum. That was to allow a levelling of the way between Bastia and Ajaccio, with a time of course per train being equivalent to that by car. That seemed too not very ambitious for the Corsican Assembly, which joined a motion launched by the communist group.
With the key: investments to be realized more quickly - seven years instead of fifteen - and in a more significant way, without forgetting the modernization of the line of Balagne, nor extension to the south of Bastia towards the Eastern plain. One evokes from now on the need for resolving, in seven years, some 700 million francs.

P. G La Vie du RAIL October 27, 1999