In short each has a little fire all wood

What perspective do you wear on the scale of the crisis

We are actually observers of the global environment, since we are a transport and logistics group present in all sectors of the economy, all countries, all modes of transport and working on behalf of businesses of all sizes. And we see a crisis of rare violence, brutal sequences. It felt a first strong in may, a second very slow hard in October. If you look at the figures and recent announcements with industry, traffic fell 10 in 2008 in the full year. And on the last three months, it must be at least 20 on certain sectors. We are therefore led to adjust our plans of transportation.

What are the most affected sectors

The car, of course. It represents 1 billion euros of billings for the whole of the industry that I lead. It is the first time in the history of the modern automotive industry factories closed five weeks. The steel is affected by domino effect. One of the most important operators has announced us the complete cessation of the transport of ore by rail between Lorraine and Dunkirk for six weeks, or the removal of 3 complete trains per day.

We also observe payment difficulties in the first place among carriers 2,000 of them have filed balance sheet since the beginning of the year but we feel also in some of our major clients of the difficulties to pay in the deadlines contractually set or attempts to defer payments.

In short, each has a little fire all wood. Of course, the approach of the deadline of December 31, closing of the balance sheet date, some are tempted to speed up adaptation measures. But all players are forced to slow down the activity to extend payment deadlines...

Your opinion, companies overshoot them

Our customers have a natural, positive and virtuous reaction in terms of reduction of investments, implementation of adaptation plans. But this crisis is also a very important psychological aspect. The players will talk about recession, crisis, or even depression, more they are likely to aggravate the situation by their own speech. Different recovery plans implemented in the world, including those presented by the President last Thursday, which includes incentives for investment in the automotive sector, housing or one of the great work, appear in this essential regard to help restore confidence. As to the difficulty for companies to access credit, this is certainly not a problem, but I think that the banks are willing to fund profitable investment projects.

Do you think, as some, that the rebound will be as brutal as the fall

In the light of the figures we have, objectivity would say that we are going to front of difficult years. But this is not a reason to quit, stop investing. It would only effect to amplify the crisis.

The domestic transport and logistics of the SNCF will be affected by this crisis

We are going through this crisis without touching any point which is our mission: develop, under the aegis of the SNCF, a player in the transportation of goods that have a global dimension, in the service of the national economy and the Chargers. We will suffer difficulties like everyone else, but they are not the results 2009 or 2010 that will change our ambition. This is a project to ten years.

The recent acquisition of IBM Global Logistics by Geodis meets this logic

This is a structural operation to Geodis, but to the SNCF. This will allow our country to play in the Court of the great logistics. So far, the SNCF was seen only as a carrier of passengers. Now, it is clearly the manoeuvre in the transport of goods all modes.

It nevertheless remains a black point, with cargo SNCF. Can you make a point on its financial situation

First of all, it should be seen SNCF freight in the transportation industry and logistics. It will be 8.5 billion euros in sales in 2008, almost 10 billion if the IBM contract, while SNCF freight revenues expected to reach 1.6 billion this year. This precision made, it must be said that the current operational losses of this activity should widen in 2008 to probably around 350 million euros from 240 million in 2007. These figures have an inescapable reality and at the same time can say that they are completely wacky!

What are these figures of losses wacky

It must explain these 350 million of operating losses. In this amount, there are 100 million that have nothing to do in our accounts. I mean there that cargo SNCF, whose markets have been opened to operators

private, undergoes a flagrant competitive inequity: professional tax we pay no is not capped value-added unlike our competitors, which costs US 42 million and our retirement contributions are 12 higher than other operators. This adds another aspect on which our industry is not only the hand: the Organization of the work. The gap between the provisions of the collective agreement that apply to private companies and our own regulations, resulting in an act of 1940, cost EUR 100 million cargo SNCF at least. We wanted to reform the system, but this has led to passengers of threats of strikes and the SNCF group. Then, it took to make an arbitration for the proper conduct of the company and I agree totally that rendered by Guillaume Pepy. But, suddenly, you feel stopped in the formidable momentum had represented 900 volunteers reported departing to work otherwise, aware of the urgency of the competitive challenge.

Cargo SNCF is therefore in these losses

Although of course that if! We have, as any industrial enterprise, the problems of quality and flexibility to resolve, including car isolated, representing 35 of income, but 70 of the losses. The Minister of transport, Dominique Bussereau, was the first to remind us constantly. We must also learn how to better deal with our colleagues from RFF constraint that represents a rail network not necessarily adapted to move goods trains. But on 350 million of operating losses, there are 200 million which are like an unfair handicap. I caution 150 million for us, which part, moreover, is the violent drop of traffic of these last three months.

Any project of social reform of the freight yourself

The company has been internal failure in recent years. But this internal failure is very difficult to achieve. Therefore, I do not want to start with big projects, plan type Blayau, who are a red rag in addition. I prefer that we focus on our strengths and our customers. Many brave and useful things have been made since a few years, including the reduction of building to 9.500(2) agents over five years, or investment in the modernization of locomotives.

What do you recommend to boost your freight rail activity

It must first that according to customers, depending on the country, we find the most productive media for the application of rail. This means that should better use our ability to act with our specialised subsidiaries. If it does not accept to do like that, it does to leaves. We are locked into a rigid, inadequate system to the relevance of the railway offer, while there are plenty of opportunities for different methods, including also offers combined transport that SNCF should promote as organizer of transport and not as mere tractionnaire, what would limit us certain private and narrow interests.

Then, rail freight cannot be conceived on massive volumes and a long distance. We therefore need a European supply capacity, perhaps through partnerships like the one we propose to SBB Cargo in Switzerland. The Chargers are applicants for takes on them in Germany, perhaps tomorrow with trains high speed, in continental Europe and even Asia in a few years.

The development of rail freight, one of the objectives of the Grenelle of the environment, appears to be difficult to achieve...

The modal report appears to be indeed difficult to achieve in the short term in the current state of things. In any event, it would do better to speak of intermodality. Take the example of isolated car: Chargers are applicants of this type of transport, as considered as more "soft" for the environment. But at the same time, the price of reference for them is the road, a two times cheaper mode and that has made enormous efforts for sustainable development. We are thus in a fundamental contradiction: he is asked to cargo SNCF to develop rail on a saturated network and in poor state, while for Chargers the priority is to reduce logistics costs.

How to resolve this contradiction

The equation is insoluble to me. If shippers and Governments believe that rail is a mode of transport priority, structural measures should be taken to facilitate the supply of the SNCF and its competitors or to render less advantageous economically other modes of transport. Otherwise, it will be what happened in Spain or in Britain, where the supply of isolated cars disappeared and we will leave to a single player control of the railway offer competitive in Europe, Deutsche Bahn, perish when it is alleged the SNCF does not accept competition!