France needs better slow trains, not just fast ones
Some cities are hyperconnected; others feel abandoned
At the end of a branch railway line that winds through wooded valleys in central France, a single carriage pulls into the little town of Ussel. The station has scarcely changed since it was built in 1880. Passengers still step over the rails to cross to the platform opposite. Clumps of grass and tall weeds sprout between the tracks.
This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline “Two-speed nation”
Europe December 17th 2022
- Despite power cuts and blockades, Ukraine’s economy is coping
- The war has worsened Ukraine’s demographic woes
- Germany’s capital struggles to clean up its act
- Ireland’s new prime minister is mocked before he starts
- France needs better slow trains, not just fast ones
- A corruption scandal leaves the EU reeling
From the December 17th 2022 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the editionMore from Europe
A dispute over old war crimes strains Polish-Ukrainian relations
The beneficiary is Russia
Austria could soon have a first far-right leader since 1945
Herbert Kickl of the Freedom Party could be the next head of government
Europe has lots of lithium, but struggles to get it out of the ground
Its targets for strategic autonomy look hard to meet
Spain’s government marks 50 years since Franco died
Opponents say it is the birth of democracy that should be commemorated
How extremist politics became mainstream in France
Jean-Marie Le Pen paved the way for his daughter, Marine