ReportageThreatened many times, still in deficit despite a recent upturn, these sleeper cars have survived, unlike many others. Contrary to the trend observed for years, the government is now considering the reopening of around ten night lines by 2030.
It is a few minutes past 8 p.m.; the train has just left Briançon. He begins the crossing of the Hautes-Alpes by the descent of the Durance valley. The night has drowned the landscape, and travelers will see neither the narrow gorges, nor the steep slopes, nor the sea of oil of Serre-Ponçon. “His placidity has something worrying about it”, writes Philippe Besson in his novel Paris-Briancon (Julliard, 208 pages, 19 euros). But Clara Ng Pak Leung, Nicolas Perrau and Anne-Marie Robert have not, for the time being, the head to probe the mysterious waters of the artificial lake. Everyone is busy in the cramped compartment – because it is, even in first, where there are however only four berths, against six in second.
The Intercités is about to cross France, or almost. A journey of 700 kilometers to reach Paris the next day at 6:55 a.m. Sitting on his berth, Nicolas Perrau defines himself as “a big fan of the train”. “I love the night trainabounds the oldest, Anne-Marie Robert. It reminds of childhood. Rocking, no doubt…” And “it’s an adventure” smiles Clara Ng Pak Leung, who will take the Thalys the next day to reach Brussels.
The three occasional companions are returning from winter sports. ” I work tomorrowsaid the young man. Coming home at night allowed me to save a day of skiing. And, as we sleep, we do not realize it. » They praise this public service whose interest exceeds, they insist, the comfort of travel for tourists. “The guide who accompanied me in the mountains told me: ‘If there is no more night train, this valley, it dies'”, says Nicolas Perrau.
Two decades of struggle
For most Briançonnais, there is no doubt. “It’s not a public comfort service, that’s obvioussays Arnaud Murgia, Mayor of Briançon. For me, the night train is as important as the development of broadband. » He receives in his small office, under the roofs of the town hall, south of the Vauban city, the historic heart of the sub-prefecture of the Hautes-Alpes.
The young right-wing elected official, rallied to Emmanuel Macron not long ago, did not experience the beginnings of the fight to maintain a line that “affects ten ski resorts”. Because Briançon has feared losing his “single umbilical cord with Paris”. The expression is from Joël Giraud, now Minister of Territorial Cohesion. Deputy La République en Marche for the Hautes-Alpes from 2002 to 2020, Mr. Giraud was very involved. In two decades, the pressure has never weakened: demonstrations, petitions, motions by elected officials, occupation of the station…
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