International Railroad Discussion > Sarkozy's Grand Vision

In an article in today's (11/06/2009)NY Times, French President Sarkozy, in the fine French tradition of wanting to leave some monumental transformation in Parisis reported to have solicited a wide range of visions for changing the city into the 21st century. However, given the financial climate and other factors, his plans have now become more pragmatic and almost totally based on public rail transport.

The great gulf on Paris is between the well-to-do and job-heavy centre city and the quite job-poor and improverished banlieu, or suburbs. The biggest limitation is ease of transportation. While the commuter rail system (RER) provide service, the capacity and ease is not always there.

Sarkozy is now scaling back from grand gesture to solid infrastructure development around ring-route rail, increased capacity Metro (subway), and other modes of helping people to move more efficiently around this classic city.

Would that cities in America understand that meeting this essential need for mobility beyond the individual automobile is the foundation to all other future development. If you build "it," but they can't get there, they won't come.

Glad to hear of one national leader who senses that getting the support structure into the future is more important than symbolic gesture buildings.

How does the Ministre de Transport play into all of this? Or is Sarkozy very ostensibly pro-rail like our Pres, perhaps?

I just spent the last four days in London where there has been a two day tube (subway) strike. I have never seen so many people walking and biking in London. The trouble with any "integrated" transport solution is usually when one part fails even though the others continue. I used train, bus and legs in place of a simple subway journey. It was interesting, to put it mildly!

Some wiseguy wrote to the newspaper "they are training for the Olympics in 2012". I hope that's not true.

Our experience with French transport solutions is that, high as French taxes are, the money does trickle through to a very good transport infrastructure. Autoroutes are continuing to be built on a prodigious scale, while the trains are generally very reliable. Except when there's a strike, that is.