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Rethinking Transport Infrastructure Finance in France:NGE Group advocates for a French New Deal that serves both rail and road – with territorial impact at its core.
As France enters a pivotal phase in defining long-term mobility investments for 2040 and beyond, top 4 French construction Group NGE calls for a bold, coherent, national railway plan – one that is not only urgently needed, but fully achievable with regionally anchored public-private governance models.
“France needs to break free from a siloed, sector-by-sector approach to transport. Rail and road must be considered together, with governance and funding models that reflect local realities,” explains Jean Bernadet, Chairman of NGE.
A unified national vision — rooted in local action
NGE, France’s fourth-largest construction group and a key player in regional infrastructure delivery, outlines four key levers to transform the investment landscape:
- Maintain current toll levels post-concession, redirecting surplus revenues towards both the regeneration of non-concession road networks and much-needed rail investment;
- Ring-fence a portion of toll revenues: without placing any additional burden on users, these funds will be allocated to support the revitalization of smaller regional rail lines. This dedicated financing is essential to reinvigorate local rail services—either as a complement to, or a substitute for, State funding allocated to the national network under its public service obligations and the responsibilities of the national infrastructure manager;
- Deploy innovative public-private partnership (PPP) and hybrid concession models that combine engineering efficiency with regional anchoring and public-interest objectives – including the parallel development of small-scale, locally managed railway partnerships inspired by the motorway concession model.
- Involve local authorities and regional governments in project governance — with smaller, more manageable contract scopes, encouraging competitiveness and local ownership. Keep a majority private shareholding to safeguard technical and financial performance, and to guarantee timely project delivery.