David Haydock

Autonomous lightweight battery vehicle developed to reduce operating costs of minor lines. Photo Credit: Ecotrain/Caroline Gasch THE pre-demonstrator passenger version of the Ecotrain autonomous lightweight battery vehicle has been unveiled in France at the Tours works of rolling stock manufacturer Socofer.

ALL recent presidents of state-owned French National Railways (SNCF) have warned about the threat to the funding of TGV high-speed services, a subject rarely reported outside France. This threat is now increasing as competition on the French network begins to ramp up, potentially taking market share away from SNCF, and requiring the government to consider how to maintain the national operator’s financial stability.