His name has been circulating persistently, and it's now almost certain: Jean Castex is expected to take over as head of SNCF in the fall. The former Prime Minister, now head of RATP, is expected to take over from Jean-Pierre Farandou, who has been in the interim position for over a year.
A well-oiled course, a suspended schedule
Since his arrival at RATP, Jean Castex has successfully restored the reliability of the Paris metro, including during the Olympic Games, when transport held up well. Social dialogue, crisis management, and strategic use of the budget: his tenure has been welcomed in both political and union ranks. But the executive is stalling. The reason lies in a legal technicality: the official appointment will have to wait until mid-November. Although the person in question left Matignon in May 2022, his brief presidency of Afit (French Transport Infrastructure Financing Agency) in the fall of that same year requires patience to avoid an opinion from the High Authority for Transparency in Public Life. In the meantime, Jean-Pierre Farandou will continue his mission at the helm of the public company. The handover has begun; all that remains is to blow the whistle.
