Faced with the challenge of the Paris-Clermont-Ferrand SNCF line, Jean Castex asks users to “grit their teeth”

If Jean Castex went to Clermont-Ferrand (Puy-de-Dôme), this Wednesday, December 17, 2025, to meet a collective of users, elected officials and economic players, he is not at the origin of the main announcement linked to the Paris-Clermont-Ferrand line. On the eve of the SNCF CEO’s trip to Auvergne, the Ministry of Transport announced the freezing of fares on this link, as well as on the POLT, for the year 2026.

A first satisfaction for the collective of Clermont-Paris Train Users, who are asking for other actions to compensate for the blatant delay in modernizing the line, as evidenced by the delivery times of the new trains, initially planned for the end of 2025 and finally expected at the end of 2027. An observation shared by Jean Castex who recalled “decades of underinvestment. »

“We prevented the line from further deterioration”

In front of an audience now accustomed to exchanges with the SNCF, the former Prime Minister did not speak in tongues without making real concrete promises. “The results are not wonderful but we prevented the line from deteriorating further. You have to grit your teeth. »

Including this for the user collectives: “It is a great mark of consideration to come without any news or announcement to make, simply to exchange with us,” reports Stéphanie Picard, spokesperson for the Clermont-Paris Train Users collective. But now we are waiting for action because two years is still a very long time. »