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The New Zealand Railways Magazine, Volume 13, Issue 1 (April 1, 1938.)

The French Railways

The French Railways.

World-wide interest has been aroused in the nationlisation of the French railways. There appears to be a certain amount of misunderstanding as to the reason for this move, so that it may be well to state that the situation leading up to this decision was a purely local one, and arose very largely from the serious inroads made upon the French railways during the Great War. In those strenuous years, 1914-1918, when, incidentally, the writer himself was engaged on military railway operations in France, huge slices of territory served by the Northern and Eastern railways were invaded, and prodigious damage done to railway property. In addition, these lines had to carry the enormous traffic of the war period, and maintenance work naturally was far below peace-time standards. Various schemes were tried out to cure postwar financial ills, but without success. At the end of 1936 the railway deficit stood at 22 milliard francs. Only by some such scheme as that recently decided upon could the French railways continue to carry on. While financial difficulties are acute, the French lines are technically unbeaten the world over. Locomotives and rolling-stock are of high standard, and way and works admirable in every respect. We look forward to the day when the French railways will regain their pre-war prosperity, especially those of us who have seen at first-hand how hard-working and efficient are one and all who go to form the French railway service.

—A. L. S.