1. Plans afoot for a brand new rail hyperlink between Paris and Brussels
French and Belgian state rail operators want to open a rail line at “typical speeds” between Paris and Brussels.
The tentative plans would see Gare du Nord and Brussels Midi linked by a rail line travelling at common speeds – slower than devoted high-speed traces, however faster than driving between the 2 cities.
“This undertaking for a brand new relationship is undoubtedly in step with the ambitions of the 2 operators and the political authorities with a view to assembly their local weather goals,” stated France’s state-run railway operator SNCF and its Belgian counterpart, SNCB, in an announcement.
“The travellers involved about defending the atmosphere could have an extra low-carbon [travel option].”
A feasibility examine into the undertaking is presently underway, with a view of opening the route “by the tip of 2024”.
The route already has the entire infrastructure required to hyperlink the 2 cities – that are presently already related by high-speed trains.
Paris and Brussels had been the primary two capital cities on this planet to be related by rail again in 1846.
Learn extra: €1 trains, new France-Eire flight: 9 French journey updates
2. Parisian public transport costs to rise once more – however not for vacationers?
The price of travelling on Paris’ public transport system is ready to rise once more in January 2024, RATP (Régie autonome des transports parisiens), the transport authority within the French capital, has confirmed.
Attributable to funding necessities, together with the prices of increasing Paris’ metro system from 14 to 18 traces, the worth of the month-to-month Navigo cross will improve from subsequent 12 months.
The precise quantity of the rise has not but been specified, nevertheless it might be much like 2023’s improve, which noticed the month-to-month fare soar 12%.
Valérie Pécresse, chairwoman of the Île-de-France Mobilités (IDFM) group that runs public transport within the Paris area, stated it was “needed to extend contributions from native authorities and fare revenues”.
Out of the additional €800 million wanted, solely €300 million is ready to come back from native authorities and authorities, leaving a €500 million hole the group must fill.
The group are additionally trying into “particular fares for guests to the Olympic and Paralympic Video games”, set to be held subsequent summer season within the metropolis.
Additionally they hope that fare rises “may be saved to a minimal,” if the federal government affords different funding streams, similar to through tax will increase on native companies.
Transport Minister Clément Beaune has stated the IDFM “could have new fiscal room for manoeuvre from 2024,” which can see fares rise decrease than initially anticipated by the group.
Learn additionally: TGVs amongst 300,000 low-cost practice tickets to go on sale quickly in France
3. Brest tram extension might be delayed… because of snails
The development of the second line of Brest’s tramway might be delayed as a result of presence of a protected species of snail on the proposed route.
The colony of Escargots de Quimper – a snail species present in Brittany and northern Spain – has been found on the town’s Robert-Schuman bridge, which the tram’s route will cross.
The town is reportedly seeking to transfer the snails to a brand new location, as they’re unwilling to fully cancel the undertaking or re-route the road – which might incur vital extra prices.
The answer will not be so easy, nevertheless, as it isn’t at all times authorized to only transfer a protected species from its present habitat, and quite a few ecological teams have now turned in opposition to the undertaking.
Though the ultimate resolution on the snails’ destiny rests with the prefect, any resolution made may be appealed inside two months.
The delay will inevitably see prices for the undertaking rise.
“I ought to level out that we’ve got had quite a lot of discussions with the environmental associations, who’re in settlement with the undertaking,” stated Glen Dissaux, vp of the Brest Metropole authority.
Mr Dissaux stated he’s glad that teams care sufficient in regards to the space’s biodiversity however that the undertaking ought to go forward.
Brest’s metropolis council has not taken an official stance on the matter but.
Learn extra: France-bound travellers warned of two-and-half-hour delays at Dover
4. Brittany Ferries wins journey award
French agency Brittany Ferries has been recognised by readers of a British newspaper.
It gained ‘greatest ferry operator’ in The Each day Telegraph’s annual journey awards. It noticed 30,000 readers of the newspaper vote for his or her favorite locations, airways and journey firms.
Brittany Ferries gained the award for the seventh consecutive 12 months working, and have saved the award since 2014 (no awards got within the class throughout the Covid pandemic).
Swedish agency Stena Line completed runners-up, with Danish firm DFDS taking third place, that means no British or Irish firm ranked within the high three spots for the primary time in over ten years.
P&O Ferries, who completed runners-up in 2019’s awards, dropped out of the rankings, largely as a result of controversy over their mass-firing of workers in 2022.
Learn additionally: EU Council confuses Mont Saint-Michel as being in Brittany
5. Easyjet announce sturdy income as Covid restoration continues
Low-cost airline EasyJet has introduced pre-tax third-quarter income of £203 million (€234 million), regardless of a spring marred by strikes.
The third quarter – the three months to June 30, 2023 – income are an enchancment of greater than £300 million (€346 million) on the earlier 12 months’s outcomes, displaying the corporate bouncing again after Covid restricted air journey.
The variety of passengers utilizing Easyjet grew to 23.45 million, a 7% improve on 2022, and the income gained per seat elevated by 22%.
These outcomes come regardless of quite a few disruptions for airline firms for the reason that starting of 2023, which included prolonged strike motion by French air site visitors controllers (ATCs).
The strikes affected tons of of 1000’s of flights not solely to and from France, however those who flew over French airspace, too.
The corporate says that strike motion by ATCs is “up 40% for the reason that begin of the 12 months in contrast with 2019”.
On high of this, estimates for fourth-quarter income are sturdy, with the airline hoping “to ship one other file pre-tax revenue efficiency”.
Additionally they consider income per seat to go up by round 10%.
These outcomes could also be affected by the virtually 2,000 flights the corporate has to this point cancelled over the summer season, nevertheless, because of strike motion.
Learn extra: EasyJet cancels 1,700 summer season flights amid fears of additional strikes
6. Facial recognition software program put in at Eurostar station
Eurostar has put in a facial recognition system at St Pancras station in London as a part of a bid to hurry up safety measures.
Changing some employees members, the software program will be capable of examine the id and tickets of these taking a practice from the London terminal to France, Belgium, or the Netherlands.
It’s – for now – solely being provided to Enterprise Premier or Carte Blanche (a sort of loyalty card for Eurostar) ticket holders.
To make use of the system, folks should use an app to scan their tickets and take a photograph of themselves upfront.
The software program will then examine this info in opposition to the particular person when passing by the ‘biometric hall’, the place if the scan and picture match, they are going to be granted entry, with out having to bodily scan their tickets or have journey paperwork checked.
Eurostar says the method will “take solely two seconds” if the steps are adopted appropriately upfront, and can permit travellers to skip queues and checks often confronted when utilizing the service.
Baggage will nonetheless be checked and French border officers will even examine passports.
Learn additionally: Couple in France ‘report faux terror alert to keep away from lacking practice’
7. Lille trials financial institution card funds at metro gates
Lille has began a four-month trial permitting customers of the town’s metro system to pay with their contactless financial institution card.
Much like different cities similar to London, the trial will see these wishing to make use of the system in a position to faucet their contactless card onto a reader by the ticket gates to achieve entry.
Eight stations throughout Line 1 and a couple of of the town’s metro will permit customers to entry the community utilizing this methodology.
As much as 5 tickets may be bought utilizing the financial institution card straight on the entrance obstacles to the station. A ticket bought this manner is charged barely larger – €2 – than the usual €1.80 fare for tickets bought at a kiosk or ticket machine.
Lille believes it should assist ease congestion throughout busy intervals and shall be “particularly helpful to vacationers” with as much as 250,000 anticipated within the metropolis throughout this autumn’s Rugby World Cup.
One potential sticking level is that the tickets bought through a financial institution card should not presently transferable to a bus or tram journey – but when the trial is profitable, the system might be rolled out throughout the entire metropolis’s public transportation.
Learn additionally: Marseille’s metro to begin making bulletins in Provençal
8. Costs rise for French journey card
France’s state-run railway operator SNCF is placing up costs on its card providing lowered practice tickets.
The Carte Avantage, which prices €49 a 12 months, affords cheaper fares on TGV, Inoui and Intercitiés trains.
Nevertheless, from August 29, the playing cards – for these aged 28-59 – will see most ticket costs rise by €10.
For instance, lengthy journeys (three hours or extra) on high-speed TGV trains are presently capped at €79 for Carte Avantage holders. They’ll now rise to €89.
Equally, value caps for journeys shorter than one hour and half-hour have risen from €39 to €49, and for medium distance journeys (between one hour half-hour and three hours) from €59 to €69.
The brand new measures do “not change something for all our prospects who do not need this card, and even for many Avantage card beneficiaries, as normally they pay lower than the utmost value,” stated the rail operator.
Those that have different variations of the cardboard, such because the Carte Avantage Jeune for these underneath 28 or the Sénior for these over 60, won’t see any adjustments.
The change is one in all quite a few belt-tightening measures SNCF say are needed within the present financial context.
Tickets for TGV trains rose 5% in January, however the firm says the true value was nearer to 13% and so they “shielded” prospects from the brunt of this improve.
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