For several months, there had been serious concerns in Retournac over two station agent positions and, in the medium term, over the very maintenance of the local counter. After several months of mobilization, bringing together users, municipal, departmental and regional elected officials, the former president of the Auvergne Rhône-Alpes region came personally to announce the good news on Saturday evening at the Retourcoise station.
“The railway workers trusted me. The presence of traffic officers is essential to ensure the movement of trains, manage crossings, delays…”, recalled Laurent Wauquiez. After “cordial but firm” discussions with SNCF Réseau, “our battle paid off. I have the commitment that the project is abandoned, with the counter, opening hours and an SNCF Réseau traffic agent maintained. This is very good news. We have put up a standoff for Retournac and for our line,” added the special advisor to the Region.
“A great relief”
“It’s a great relief for everyone”, rejoiced Joris Leclercq, one of the traffic officers present on Saturday evening at Retournac station, after months of “very strong mobilization”. The good news arrived Thursday January 23 in the morning by an email from the sector manager. But he specifies: “The project has been postponed. The current operation is therefore maintained. But we will have to be attentive. They had already tried in 2022. So if it starts again, we will be ready”, he warns.
-Same story for the mayor of Retournac, both relieved but cautious. “We will remain vigilant. We are not giving up,” confirmed Patrica Goudard. In the commune on the banks of the Loire, everyone kept in mind the episode of October 2022 and this first battle won before the new announcements from the SNCF in the fall of 2024.
Ambiance. The railway workers invited the former regional president and the local elected officials present to discover how the site works, in particular the devices allowing the crossing of two trains at the station.
After this visit, a lively and brief exchange took place between Renaud Daumas, regional opposition councilor, and Laurent Wauquiez, on the subject of the deviation of Pertuis and Saint-Hostien on the RN 88. There was discussion of the money put by the community on the railway in comparison with the cost of the 2×2 track.
