France is restructuring its railways again, with a view to ensuring that SNCF can run track and train with less competition from other operators. This is supposed to sort out its massive debt, but the result for customers and operators is likely to be very bad. Even the TGV network is apparently losing money, inter-city is in an even worse financial state, and a newspaper report in January suggested that in a few years' time the only network of passenger services still in existence will be around the major conurbations, plus perhaps some TGVs. The situation is made worse - in Germany too - by the introduction of long-distance road coaches offering very low fares. So what is the solution?
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