Railcars Popular in France.

Railcar operation has made tremendous progress in France, and at the present time there are approximately 700 railcars in daily service, covering more than 90,000 miles daily. Actually, in point of view of numbers, France heads the list of continental railcar users, being followed by Germany, Czechoslovakia, Italy and Roumania. The Paris authorities favour railcar operation, not only for branch-lines, but also for many main-lines, such as Paris-Lille, Paris-Lyons, and Paris-Le Havre. On some of these latter routes, speeds of as high as 87 m.p.h. are maintained, specially fast units being employed. In the main, however, the French railways have not found it necessary to have a large number of different types of railcar to meet the varying requirements of the service. To be efficient it is considered that a railcar must be suitable for any service, either fast or slow, with or without a trailer, and so designed as to be capable of being coupled up to one or more cars to form a longer unit at peak periods. A standard railcar has been developed, capable of speeds up to 75 m.p.h., and accommodating sixty seated and sixty standing passengers, or sixty seated passengers and a considerable quantity of mails or baggage.