French President Emmanuel Macron says he wants to see regional express trains, similar to the Paris RER system, linking suburbs and centre in ten metropolitan areas, although he did not propose a time scale for the development, nor explain how it might be financed, reports Radio France Internationale.
President Macron said that as part of France's commitment to environmental improvement, he wants to see regional train networks put in place around ten major French cities.
"We have to decarbonise our daily trips," the French leader explained to followers on YouTube on Sunday.
A presidential spokesperson added that the hope is to offer a greater choice to those who make costly, frustrating and environmentally negative commutes in private cars to and from city centres.
"It's a super idea, for the environment, for the economy and for the quality of life," Macron insists, because it will reduce pollution, traffic jams and the waste of both time and money.
But the president did not offer any precise objectives. His team have explained that several major urban transport projects are already being worked on, either physically or at the planning stage.
The sphere of ecological planning is the responsibility of the Prime Minister, Élisabeth Borne.
While the presidential announcement has been broadly welcomed by ecologists and local representatives, critics have pointed to the fact that 3 billion euros, intended for the rail sector, was withdrawn by the government from transport legislation passed in early November.