Lot-et-Garonne: canceled trains that ruin the life of an Agen high school student in Toulouse
A mother, residing in Foulayronnes in Lot-et-Garonne, is stepping up to report the cancellations of morning trains at Agen station leaving for Toulouse, where her son attends school.
Take the train instead of the car for a journey of just over an hour? Many citizens did not wait for political and football controversies to commit to a carbon-free mode of transport. But in Agen, you still have to be able to get on the train. This is the bitter observation of Mélanie Segantini, a mother who, for this back to school, has decided to take the train to her son. At 15, this Foulayronnais was admitted to the Airbus high school in Toulouse, and makes two round trips a week. An economical and ecological choice, but which is above all synonymous with hassle since the start of the school year.
First difficulty for Mélanie and her son: the ultra-morning departure time to arrive at the time of the bell. “He must be in Toulouse before 8 am, there is only one train that allows that” explains the mother of the family. Departure time? 5h56 at Agen station. Even at the time of the milkman, the platform of the Agen station is filled with several travelers – around thirty people including Mélanie and her son – leaving for Toulouse. “Last week, we were warned 5 minutes before the departure of the TER that it was simply canceled” she plague. “And this Monday, we were told there was a 5-minute delay before being told that the train would not leave”. In both cases, Mélanie had to take her car, cancel her morning appointments and leave for the Toulouse metropolis. The toll and gasoline for his pocket.
“The SNCF deprives the Agenais to study or work in Toulouse”
Since these two incidents, the mother of the high school student has not taken off. First with the agents of the Agen station who were unable to find a solution for him, “apart from taking the next train. Except that my son arrived in Toulouse well after the start of the lessons, at 8 hours.” She received the support of the Toulouse high school, understanding and “ready to support her approach” with a morning train and on time. And from a financial point of view too: in addition to the cost of round trips by car, she “took a TER subscription of a hundred euros … for nothing. The SNCF deprives the Agenais of studying or work in Toulouse” adds Mélanie. What she is afraid of is that in view of the repetition of incidents, the SNCF does not remove this morning TER depending on Lot-et-Garonne in Occitanie. A case that it intends to defend by mobilizing morning users but also Lot-et-Garonne political actors.
Contacted, the SNCF deplores these cancellations and ensures that it is doing everything possible to ensure daily journeys despite the difficulties. Regarding a possible abolition of this schedule, it is not on the agenda. The timetables displayed at the station to connect Agen to Toulouse are therefore valid at least until December, when the transition to “winter timetables” takes place. “To make these weekly trips, the train is much more reassuring than the car,” she says. Mélanie would just like the railway company to respect its slogan of the year 1995, “It’s up to us to make you prefer the train”. For the moment, the account is not there.