The regionalization of rail transport in France. An analysis of the interplay between actors (from the late 1990s through the 2000s)

In France, owing to the railway regionalization process, regional “governments” are finding themselves increasingly involved in transport policy-making. Based on a multidisciplinary comparative study conducted in six French regions, this paper aims to analyze the ways in which regional rail policies are constructed by examining, in particular, the way they are generated as a result of interactions between different institutional actors. These interactions are linked to tensions in three main areas: the financing of transport investments, the financing and nature of rail services and regional governance. We examine these tensions by referring to three configurations of actors: the first includes the Regions and the State, the second, the Regions and the rail actors, and the third, the Regions and other local authorities. Finally, we discuss our findings, emphasizing what they teach us about the regionalization process in France.

► Regional policy focus tended to evolve from infrastructure provision to transport service management.
► State-Region contractualization is strategic for the Regions but partly oriented by the State.
► The professionalization of regional staff helps to question the control of the SNCF over expertise.
► The Regions are in competition with cities and departments with which they also have to collaborate.
► The management of rail networks allows regional actors to build day after day regional territories.