FRANCE stands at a pivotal moment in its transport history. The government will in December lay before Parliament legislation to create a new model for transport finance, giving form to the conclusions of Ambition France Transports, a series of conferences and workshops held between May and July to identify new sources of funding to increase investment in transport infrastructure at a time of increasing budgetary constraints.
One major change will be using the proceeds of motorway toll revenue from new concessions, estimated at €2.5bn year, to finance other modes including the national rail network where the objective of providing an additional €1.5bn a year from 2028 will be set in law. Priority will be given to renewing and upgrading existing infrastructure.
As the government defines its future investment strategy for 2040 and beyond, a key question arises: how can we deliver the infrastructure regions need while ensuring long-term resilience? It is not simply a matter of budgets or engineering. It is a matter of changing how we think about public infrastructure and what we do to develop it.
To move forward, France should break away from the siloed, sector-by-sector mindset that has long governed transport policy. Road and rail should no longer be treated as disconnected domains. They must be planned and delivered together, within governance and funding frameworks that reflect the diversity of local needs.
In most countries with mature transport networks, systems are typically designed according to a distinct financial logic. While each mode has its own particular requirements, this separation creates a fragmented transport network with limited capacity to respond to local challenges. As the debt burden continues to grow for many governments, it is time to align national priorities with reality on the ground. Solutions exist that combine public ownership with the capacity and innovation of the private sector. This is the spirit of our proposition in the case of France: a transport model that is coherent, collaborative and rooted in the regions.
Rail focus
There is little debate over the strategic importance of rail. It is indispensable to meeting France’s decarbonisation goals, improving national cohesion, and meeting the transport needs of local communities. Yet many small and medium-density lines remain under-used or in decline due to insufficient funding and ageing infrastructure, and more investment is urgently needed.
Rather than focusing solely on large national projects, we believe there is room for a parallel strategy, one that empowers regions to revitalise local lines through targeted, long-term investment supported by new partnership models. The challenge is not technical, it is organisational. The public sector cannot be expected to carry the burden alone, and private-sector solutions exist to help accelerate delivery in the public interest.
Toll revenue collected by private motorway concessionaires could be directed into a dedicated infrastructure fund to revitalise local railway lines, especially those that are essential to the region they serve but have limited access to national investment funding. This approach would provide regions with the financial guarantees they need to deliver long-term rail projects.
Theory into practice
Rather than merely preaching from the sidelines, we are actively implementing these ideas. NGE Concessions holds a 50% stake in Nova 14, which last year was awarded a 22-year concession by the Grande Est region to upgrade, operate and maintain the 75km Nancy - Contrexéville line, closed since 2016. Under France’s first regional railway public-private partnership (PPP), NGE subsidiaries including TSO will be responsible for civils, track and signalling work, while infrastructure will be maintained by a joint venture of Transdev (75%) and NGE (25%), which is also responsible for passenger operations.
It is important to emphasise that we are not calling for privatisation. We are calling for new partnership models that mobilise the strengths of both the public and private sectors. The national infrastructure manager will of course continue to play a central role in managing the core network, but there is space - and, we would argue, the need - for complementary frameworks that empower regions, diversify funding sources, and enable more agile project delivery where appropriate.
Project scope that is more tightly focused on local needs and regionally managed governance can help rebalance risk, foster competition, and strengthen local ownership. Maintaining majority private ownership guarantees execution and ensures deadlines and outcomes are met without compromise.
France has all ingredients for success: proven technical capacity, strong regional leadership, institutional maturity, and a track record of effective public-private partnerships. What is needed now is a clear national signal, a framework that allows new delivery models to emerge and develop at scale, without undermining public policy objectives.
The next chapter of France’s infrastructure strategy must be shaped through collaboration, with road and rail as mutually reinforcing components of a resilient, future-ready transport system. Now is the time to build it, and build it together.
