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At the end of February 2026, a potentially far-reaching measure was approved by the French Transport Regulatory Authority (ART): starting with the annual service 2027rail operators will be able to obtain a toll reductions (what companies pay to use the rail infrastructure) when their TGVs stop in small and medium-sized stations called"regional planning.
The idea is simple: to encourage operators to continue to stop in (or return to) medium-sized cities, rather than focusing exclusively on the most profitable routes between major metropolises, many voices are heard Some hail it as a "first step" towards greater territorial equity, while others consider the signal too weak, or point to the challenges of opening up the railways to competition. So, in concrete terms, what does this mean for French rail? And above all, will it change your train service tomorrow? We take a look.
At the beginning of 2026, the ART, often referred to as the "transport gendarme", issued a favorable assent to the 2027-2029 rail toll project presented by SNCF Réseau, which manages and maintains the national rail network. This reference document (DRR) defines the rates operators pay to use the infrastructure.
Moreover, this fare modulation is not just an SNCF Réseau initiative: it is part of a regulatory framework provided for in the Transport Code (Article L2111-25) which authorizes and regulates this type of mechanism to favor certain less profitable services.
New features include a reduced tolls for TGVs that stop at "regional development" stations. While these reductions have not yet been detailed station by station in the public notice, they would involve a reduction of of approximately 1 % à 4 % according to the number of stops made at these stations.
ART's official objective? To encourage operators to run services that are not necessarily the most profitable, but that do promote a more efficient use of resources. more balanced coverage of the territory national.
ART describes this toll modulation as ". price signal "This is not an obligation for operators to stop at these stations, but a financial incentive.
The Authority considers that these reductions can be a useful lever for encouraging the use of less economically attractive lines, which in the long term can help to balance the rail offer. In other words: we're not forcing anyone, but we're making things a little more interesting.
However, experience in other European countries shows that opening up to competition does not systematically lead to a deterioration in the system. In Italy, for example, the arrival of Italo as a competitor to Trenitalia has helped to increase the offer and overall ridership of high-speed trains, for all operators combined.
The system will apply to stations "land-use planning This term refers to towns that play a structuring role for their region or geographical area, but which are currently less served by high-speed trains.
In practice, 27 stations will be concerned (find out more in this document SNCF Réseau, p.50):
SNCF Réseau
Rail network pricing already includes a number of mechanisms designed to favor certain regional services.
The map below (detailed description here), presents in particular the sections of the conventional network eligible for the regional planning in the pricing of high-speed trains.
Lorenzo Freire-Stella
Lorenzo Freire-Stella, the Transport Geography researcher behind the map, explains:
"The introduction of reductions for station charges from 2027 represents a further attempt to encourage service to smaller stations, which are less profitable than High Speed Line destinations.
As of 2019, the Document de Référence de Réseau, which sets rail charges, already includes a discount on tolls for High-Speed Trains that use routes on conventional lines (pink lines). The yellow dots represent stations currently served by TGV. We can thus see that the sections eligible for the reduction have been chosen so as to maintain the scheme on the TGV network. Until now, SNCF Voyageurs has been the sole beneficiary of these reductions on lines eligible for regional development. Finally, the blue sections represent the Lignes à Grande Vitesse (LGV) high-speed lines: these are the ones that enable higher train turnaround and therefore greater profitability.
It should be noted that new entrants to the network benefit from a degressive reduction for the use of LGVs for the first three years, to facilitate the development of their services."
Fnaut (Fédération nationale des associations d'usagers des transports) represents the interests of passengers, particularly those who use trains regularly and those who want more sustainable mobility.
For Fnaut, the reduction in tolls for stops at small stations is a major step forward. "first step to encourage a more balanced offer from operators. In her opinion, it is above all the potential increase in train capacity in less central areas that counts: more stops means more choice for users, which is one of the main levers for encouraging people to prefer the train to the car.
Jean Castex, CEO, SNCF Group also spoke on the subject. In his opinion it is not acceptable that certain competing operators focus exclusively on the most profitable sections of the network to the detriment of less lucrative services that are essential for regional development.
It calls for all rail companies operating high-speed trains to be subject to to the same service constraints The aim is to maintain a balance that enables the rail system to continue financing less profitable services from revenues generated by more lucrative segments.
An example? On the Paris-Bordeaux The fact that the profitability is not the same if intermediate stops are eliminated fuels his argument in favor of a regulatory framework that is fair to all players.
Behind this technical measure lies a broader debate on opening up the telecommunications sector to competition. freely organized rail services (such as TGVs), and the balance between profitability and public service. In this model, operators are free to choose the lines they wish to operate, according to their potential profitability.
This distinguishes them from contracted services The public authority (often the Region) defines the offer and finances its operation via a contract with a rail operator.
The arrival of operators such as Trenitalia has thus shake up historically established balances of the French rail industry. As in other sectors open to competition, new entrants are tending to position themselves first and foremost on the railways. most profitable routes usually between large metropolises.
In reality, however, new entrants are still very much in the minority in the French high-speed market, with Trenitalia and Renfe accounting for less than 2% of the total number of passengers carried in 2024.
Autorité de Régulation des Transports - 2024
In this context, modulating tolls can be a lever to encourage operators to take an interest in less profitable routes. But there's no guarantee that this will be enough to rebalance supply.
In fact, even though tolls account for approximately 40% of high-speed train operating costs However, other factors remain decisive: rolling stock utilization, driving and on-board personnel, maintenance and energy.
A reduction of a few percent in tolls therefore only marginally alters the overall economic equation for a service.
But economics is not the only explanation.
Beyond the economic issues, this debate also highlights a particularity of the French railway system: the strong preference for direct connections between major cities. Historically, French travelers have been accustomed to high-speed trains linking two cities directly, with few connections.
In other European countries, such as Germany, Switzerland and Italy, the rail system is organized more along the lines of a "railway system". optimized matching logic High-speed trains run mainly on dedicated lines, while regional trains provide fine services with rapid connections (often platform to platform).
"In France, there is little coordination between regional transport systems and long-distance services, and a lack of hourly intervals, cannot be considered as a credible option for connecting journeys. Direct TGVs are therefore "bandage" to this problem. These services certainly offer comfort for passengers, but prevent the rail network from being used in its area of relevance. Wherever connections are more accepted by passengers, the network can serve more cities, assuming that the organization of connections is highly efficient and the travel culture is different." - Lorenzo Freire-Stella
Even if tolls represent an important part of train operating costs, and passengers would like to see fare reductions, this measure does not automatically lead to a direct reduction in ticket prices. And for good reason: the toll reduction envisaged remains relatively marginal (of the order of a few percent) in the overall economics of a high-speed train.
Operators (both SNCF and new entrants) remain free to choose their commercial strategies. And on this point, it should be remembered that the reduction of stops in certain medium-sized towns doesn't date from the arrival of competition.
Over the last decade, SNCF Voyageurs itself has gradually reduced certain intermediate services. with a view to optimizing costs and journey times.
A video by Lorenzo Freire-Stella provides an archival overview of this evolution. here. "This work of reconstructing television archives shows that the subject of serving small stations is not a new one, he explains, and that even before the arrival of competition, there was a pre-existing tendency for TGV services to contract. In 2017, there were 230 stations served by TGV, today there are 180. What's still left well above our European neighbors In Italy, for example, high-speed services serve around 90 stations. Moreover, Italy does not have a system similar to the French one for reducing tolls for high-speed trains on conventional lines.
The real promise of this measure is rather that it will improve service to stations which, until now, have been less well served by the high-speed rail services.
Although the term "TGV" is often used in the public debate, it is in fact the SNCF's brand name: all high-speed operators could, in theory, serve these stations.
If this translates into more TGV stops at these medium-sized or small stations, it could mean more choice and more opportunities for travelers to take the train to a wide range of destinations. and not just the major metropolises.
As this is a "price signal" rather than an obligation However, it will be necessary to measure its real effect on supply in the years to come (2027-2029 cycle). It is this practical application that will determine whether the toll incentive is sufficient to influence operators' strategies.
The French transport regulator (Autorité de régulation des transports) sees this toll modulation as a relevant measure for optimizing network utilization It calls for this type of mechanism to be continued and deepened in future fare cycles. It calls for this type of mechanism to be pursued and further developed in future fare cycles.
Basically, this debate highlights a central issue for French railways: how to reconcile opening up to competition, infrastructure financing and maintaining a balanced service offer across the country ? Modulated tolls are an attempt at an answer, but they are not a miracle solution on their own. To be continued... Because behind a fare line in a technical document, the map of tomorrow's stops is taking shape.
Issue du monde de la communication et des médias, Sophie est Responsable éditoriale chez HOURRAIL ! depuis août 2024. Elle est notamment derrière le contenu éditorial du site ainsi que La Locomissive (de l'inspiration voyage bas carbone et des bons plans, un jeudi sur deux, gratuitement dans ta boîte mail !).
Convaincue que les changements d’habitude passent par la transformation de nos imaginaires, elle s’attache à montrer qu’il est possible de voyager autrement, de manière plus consciente, plus lente et plus joyeuse. Son objectif : rendre le slow travel accessible à toutes et tous, à travers des astuces, des décryptages et surtout, de nouveaux récits.
