J'ai évité de parler d'un truc. Ma 800 que je devais préparer était a côté de... ÇA !!!!!!! La nouvelle locomotive de la #SNCB : la HLE17 ! 🤩 Elle est classe.

Jolie bestiole 😊

Hâte de voir ce qu'elle va donner sous 25kV sur la L162.

The case against the 🇫🇷 regional mergers decided in 2015:

Too few regions, too many different operating contracts to award 😬😬😬

Lisea PPP led to inflated costs.

HS1 had its funding de facto nationalised post-Railtrack bust...

could also be a solid player, guaranteeing Talgo a minimum volume of orders.

Alsa - Ecorail could replace or absorb Ouigo.

Motion Rail would be a new addition.

So, 4 operators of which
. 2 are privately-owned
. 3 are 🇪🇦
🔚

Very inappropriate proposal, in view of the Railtrack misery in 🇬🇧.

And private funding costs more than state funding.

If 🇪🇦 wants more private sector involvement in 🛤️, it'd better seek 1-2 more privately-owned passenger operators.

. Alsa - Ecorail could be one of those
. Motion Rail (Talgo)
🔜

If only that plan included more frequency on Vigo - Oporto, with rolling-stock a tad more appealing than those knackered Camellos...

Then ask him to contribute 1/2 of the cost for that IKEA extra burner.

I Tested the First-Ever Airline Made for Dogs YouTube video by Hangtime

@kevintheklaus.bsky.social
@seatsixtyone.bsky.social
@simplyrailways.bsky.social
@superalbs.bsky.social
@doc7austin.bsky.social
@intercitysimon.com

youtu.be/sAr_k6RW9Lk?...

Can't you and your roommate share a single burner?

Manche à eau, potence de signalisation, verrière et => #vapeur => #141TC à => #Paris => #gareduNord en 09-69 plus caténaires pour => #BB16500 assurant quelques services.
📷non identifié, source : Flickr de "loose_grip_99" flic.kr/p/4mt38Y

Le convoi en traction vapeur devait être destination Persan-Beaumont ou Beauvais.

Interestingly, this order includes:

. some options (@jonworth.eu won't probably be too happy about it 🤭😉)

. some wholly-daytime trainsets.
(Will those run independently, or coupled to sleeper trainsets?)

La cabine de conduite a-t-elle été modernisée ?

It’s his baby now! ❤️🥹 YouTube video by DontStopMeowing

If I were a 😺
🥰🥰🥰

youtube.com/shorts/-anXU...

Capex costs.
(Rolling-stock is 0% centrally-funded).

What makes the difference is the Versement de Transport, which municipalities (and regions) may levy on their territorial payroll.

🇬🇧 has nothing alike. Even less since the Thatcher Years, as fiscal autonomy of local authorities was eroded.
🔚

Trams were originally planned under the nationwide Concours Cavaillé (1975, for 8 pioneer cities).

But the very first city ever to build a modern 🚈 network (Nantes, 1984) was off that Plan.
It was a purely local initiative.

In 🇫🇷, Central Sate funding may not cover >30% of local transport infra
🔜

More than a nanny state.

🇫🇷 beheaded its last ever 👑 of divine right (1793) and entered a long process of aggressive secularisation that same year, culminating in 1905.

This double vacuum was filled by the State.

In today's 🇫🇷, State = God + King.
🔚

Flixbus ist already quite dominant. If they eat the spoils of Blablabus, they will be a tad too strong.

Perhaps regulators should favor a merger Alsa (National Express) + RegioJet + Blablabus...

You had your black 🐈 day yesterday.

Today should statistically be better 😊

Auf der Zwischenstuffe ↘️

Bon Appétit / Eet smakkelijk 😋

14 hrs for Amsterdam - Montpellier (via Quévy) if you can secure a good path through 🇫🇷.

Add 3 hrs to complete Montpellier - Barcelona using the HSL.
So, 17 hrs.

Not a surprise, really.

Who will eat the spoils?

Flixbus ? Alsa? Regio Jet?

Corsica was first a single Département (20)

In 1976, it was split (more councilors to be bribed... 🙄🙃🤭)

. Haute-Corse (2B, for Bastia)
. Corse du Sud (2A, for Ajaccio).

All the former Départements Algériens (3 to 15, depending upon the year) were named after their head city.
🔚

for Département de la Seine, which included current
. Ville de Paris 75
. Hauts de Seine 92
. Seine - St-Denis 93
. Val de Marne 91

(Ville de Paris is the official name for both the Département and the Municipalité of Paris.

Commune de Paris is proscribed, for historical reasons 🙄😬🤐)

🔜

. Barrois (Bar-le-Duc)

Les Trois Evêchés were in fact Metz + Toul + Verdun.

The previous name for Île de France was Parisis.

2 post-1790 Départements are named after cities.

90: Territoire de Belfort (1871, when retrenched from 68 Haut-Rhin)

75: Ville de Paris
Until 1968, 75 was the number
🔜

. Saintonge (Saintes)

. Angoumois (Angoulême)

. Limousin (Limoges)

. Périgord (Périgueux)

. Comté de Foix (Foix)

. Comté de Nice (Nice)

. Vivarais (Viviers)

. Lyonnais (Lyon)

( Beaujolais (Beaujeu))

. Comminges (St-Bertrand de Comminges)
🔜

Yes, the Départements founded in 1790 were named after rivers and mountains.

But the previous Provinces often had names derived from cities:

. Artois (Arras)

. Orléanais (Orléans)

. Tourraine (Tours)

. Maine (Le Mans)

. Anjou (Angers)

. Nivernais (Nevers)

. Poitou (Poitiers)
🔜

Ⓜ️13 (Garges-les-Gonesse) St-Denis - Université ↔️ Châtillon - Montrouge (Versailles).

(T6 is slow and poorly performing)

So, yes, there's still some work to do post Grand Paris completion.
🔚
@stephenjacobsmith.com
@remicardona.bsky.social
@vincevlo.bsky.social

Ⓜ️2, which currently runs full, gets appreciable relief

The North and East termini stations get better connectivity.

Montmartre, currently poorly served by 🚇, benefits from much improved accessibility.

5️⃣ Ⓜ️13 retains St-Denis - Université ↔️ Châtillon - Montrouge

+Extensions at each end
🔜