SNCF wants to invent a “functional train”

SNCF’s head of TGV and Intercity trains, Alain Krakovic, broke ground on the (new) pool on Tuesday evening. The man who hooked up PSG followers on Twitter with a private jet to do Paris-Nantes (two hours by train) is now attacking the lucky beneficiaries of a company car. At the end of the award ceremony for eco-mobility champion companies – TGV users in general – he said: “There are 2.8 million company cars in France. it’s disgusting”Presented as a defender of the climate.

Of course, some of these vehicles are used for daily travel or service. But for the TGV boss, this is a minority: “These cars are mainly used for weekend trips. » According to a study published in 2019 by AAA Data, the Haute-de-Seine department has the highest number of company cars – one in three, compared to the national average of 7%. “Electric car is not a solution”, fight Allen Krakowic. A solution, he thinks he has. This is “Functional Train “.

Checks or “train card”?

Just as a company can give its employees Chèques Restaurants or Chèques-Vacances, why not imagine checks or a “train card”? Employers can already promote soft mobility – cycling, carpooling, etc. – by financing a “sustainable mobility package” for their employees, which exempts them from social security contributions and income tax up to 800 euros per year per employee. Similarly, the government can encourage ‘company train’ rather than company car as a salary supplement. SNCF has yet to commit to an offer, but TGV’s commercial chief wants to be ready in 2024.

And he does everything for it. Using the word in Allen Krakowitch’s mouth “disgusting” Nothing accidental. Looking for a fly. He does not hide his satisfaction with PSG coach Christophe Galtier and Kylian Mbappe. His shot was very calculated. “I had to do it three times on Twitter to get it”admits the boss, who is in discussions with a Parisian football club to transport the team.

Still, Twitter could catch up. For climate defenders, first of all, it is necessary to reduce the number of kilometers traveled (except for bicycles), and not only to replace the company car with a train. As for TGV or Intercity passengers, they’d rather ride the trains on time than make noise on social media.