“TransN is doing its job”
Laurent Favre would first like to point out what is going well: “In the field, TransN is a company that does its job by offering quality services to the people of Neuchâtel on a daily basis. » Even if certain services had to be skipped in September due to absenteeism. However, the Canton “has had to observe an excessive increase in costs over the last three or four years”. “We therefore requested that an audit be carried out in order to take appropriate measures. »
The fact remains that today, financially “the situation is not good. Despite everything, the company is not affected by article 725 of the Code of Obligations which deals with debt restructuring or bankruptcy. But it is true that TransN’s balance sheet is extremely fragile after the cumulative losses,” believes Laurent Favre. “From this point of view, the significant amount of 20 million francs to recapitalize the company will deserve to be carried out over the next six months in major works. This is in order to optimize and reconsolidate the company. » In an interview given in mid-September, TransN management estimated that the share capital should be tripled to ensure the proper functioning of the company. Today, the capital amounts to just over 15 million francs.
Other solutions on the canton’s table
However, the State Councilor in charge of territorial development indicated that the Canton had to lend funds to TransN to ensure its financial liquidity. This is what appears in the government response to the inquiry from the Vert’libéral–Le Center group.
The Neuchâtel government also wishes to analyze the synergies that TransN could lead to. Laurent Favre does not rule out increased collaborations with the CFF or with the Chemins de fer du Jura. /aju
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