Performance in France

In 1975, France was the first European country to embark on the high-speed rail (HSR) odyssey. Regarded as something of a niche activity initially, high-speed rail has become a national priority. The lines currently under construction will bring the HSR network to 2 600 km by 2017. The French “model” gives us a basic lesson: geography (size of the cities and distance between them) is the crucial factor of success and determines the economic profitability. Due to the lack of new profitable lines, France is now facing some limits to HSR network extensions. It is not surprising therefore, that in 2013 the French Government declared a slowdown if not a halt to all new HSR works. After 2017, only the Bordeaux- Toulouse line might see the light of day: the other lines for which local politicians lobbied so forcibly pose formidable financing problems.

The Economics of Investment in High-Speed Rail

Performance in France

From appraisal methodologies to ex-post evaluation