There are 30 of them, brand new… The Régiolis trainsets were acquired by the Grand-Est region for an amount of nearly 400 million euros at the start of the year. Cross-border trains which have the particularity of only being able to run in France! “For the moment, our trains have not obtained approval to operate on the German side,” explains Thibaud Philipps, Vice-President of the region in charge of transport.
These trainsets were created as part of the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle providing for the development of train lines between France and Germany.
The cause of this slowdown: the evolution of braking standards across the Rhine since the creation of these trains. “Following various accidents, Germany has changed its rules governing emergency braking. Our French trains use electromagnetic pads, which are not approved for emergency braking on German rails,” laments Thibaud Philipps.
An incident all the more regrettable as these Régiolis trainsets were designed by French and German engineers. For the moment, these trains are therefore used to strengthen the offer on the French regional network.
Penalties for SNCF
“It’s still quite funny to see the French and German flags on the wagons but to know that they cannot run in Germany. Even more so when we know their exorbitant price! » laughs Jeff, a daily user of the TER Mulhouse-Strasbourg. Laurence, used to Alsatian regional trains, is delighted “to be able to take advantage of the brand new Régiolis trains while waiting for them to be reserved for cross-border lines. Every day, we travel in dilapidated trains, so it’s nice to enjoy efficient and welcoming trains.”
Mathias does not have the same opinion. Employed in a bank in Müllheim, he is impatiently awaiting the opening of the cross-border connection between Mulhouse and the German city. “At the moment, I have to take a bus which takes 40 minutes between Mulhouse and my office when it runs well. I accepted a position in Müllheim at the start of the year because the SNCF promised a cross-border connection in just 20 minutes between the two cities,” says the 27-year-old.
This Franco-German connection will indeed accommodate Régiolis trains just like the Strasbourg-Offenburg line. “Our trains do not need to return to the factory but we have had to restart the approval process. We hope to obtain approval from the German side at the beginning of next year with the aim of being able to run these trains by April,” hopes the elected official. For its part, the Grand-Est region already plans to invoice “20 million euros in penalties to the SNCF in view of this delay in ignition”.