During a speech on Europe at La Sorbonne on April 24, President Emmanuel Macron reiterated his commitment to leading France and Europe towards modernity. Meanwhile, a group of Clermont-Paris train users took advantage of the occasion to request a meeting with the President, urging for the Paris-Clermont railway line to be modernized.
The collective’s petition, launched last year with the goal of reducing travel time between Paris and Clermont to 2 hours and 30 minutes, has garnered over 12,000 signatures. Commuters like Louise, who regularly take the train for work, express frustration over the unpredictability of travel times on the current line. The collective points out that it takes less time to travel to Strasbourg or Lyon, cities farther from Paris than Clermont-Ferrand.
The call for improvement comes as SNCF announced delays in delivering new trains to replace outdated ones, with the first trainsets not expected until 2027. Following a serious incident in January that left passengers stranded overnight on the train, SNCF implemented a 40 million euro emergency plan and stationed a locomotive halfway in Nevers in March. However, the collective believes that these measures do not address the overall issues with the railway line. They are hopeful for a meeting with the President to discuss ways to modernize and improve the Paris-Clermont railway line.