Can the opening up of rail competition call into question the “quarter-seat” tariff for the military?

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Since the railway networks began to develop in France and thanks to General Oudinot, the military benefit from a reduction of 75% on the price of their train tickets. This is called the “quarter seat” rate.

However, in a report published in 2011, considering that this device had had its day, the Court of Auditors proposed to review it in depth, or even to abolish it. Especially since she was worried about the continuous rise in its cost. At the time, this amounted to more than 190 million euros per year, or 34% more than in 2002. And to explain that this was due to “systematic fraud”, to “the 'lack of control' and to the 'too many beneficiaries'... whereas the vast reform of the military card then in progress could only increase the number of 'geographic singles'.

Be that as it may, despite the charge of the Court of Auditors, this reduced rate for the military has not only been maintained… but also extended to their families, within the framework of the “Family Plan” of the Ministry of the Armed Forces. And this, thanks to a new agreement with the SNCF. For the latter, such a device costs it nothing because the "shortfall" is fully compensated by the Ministry of the Armed Forces.

However, in its 2011 report, the Court of Auditors pointed out that this practice would eventually pose a problem with the announced opening up to competition of rail passenger traffic. “Ultimately, the regularity of the compensation from the Ministry of Defense to the SNCF with regard to Community regulations on State aid could be called into question. From this angle too, the 'quarter place' seems more and more linked to a bygone era”, she argued.

This opening up of rail to competition is now a reality. Thus, in mid-December, the Italian operator Trenitalia launched its first high-speed trains on the Paris-Lyon-Milan line, one of the most profitable. Until then, only regional lines were affected by this liberalisation. And four regions [Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Hauts-de-France, Grand Est and Pays de la Loire] have launched calls for tenders to subject the SNCF to competition.

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In view of this new deal, what will become of the “quarter seat” and the reduced rates enjoyed by military families? For the moment, we don't know too much about it… Hence the call from MPs Séverine Gipson and Isabelle Santiago to ensure that these devices do not disappear.

“The opening of the rail market concerns three segments: high-speed lines, regional balancing trains for which the State is the organizing authority and regional express transport governed by agreements made with the regions. Since December 2019, the State and the regions have been able to launch calls for tenders for their contracted markets. In December 2020, high-speed lines became accessible outside of those subject to a territorial agreement. In December 2023, the State and the regions will have the obligation to launch calls for tenders at the end of their operating contracts", recall the two parliamentarians, in a copious report on the "Family Plan", submitted to the name of the Defense Committee.

Also, emphasizing that the "benefit of the SNCF Family card for military families is particularly appreciated by the military community", Mesdames Santiago and Gipson believe that it is "capital to ensure that this advantage is maintained, once the lines railways will have been opened to competition".

In the meantime, the Human Resources Department of the Ministry of the Armed Forces [DRH-MD] assured them that it "will nevertheless endeavor to preserve the effects of this measure in the context of future negotiations with the SNCF and, the where applicable, competitive procedures relating to the selection of new operators for the rail transport of its personnel and their families on lines open to competition”.

Photo: Ministry of the Armed Forces