In provincial France, at lunchtime, many rail services cease for a "maintenance break" - really just lunch.
That's pure French-bashing bullshit. "Dieu se rit des hommes qui se plaignent des conséquences alors qu'ils en chérissent les causes" Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet
In provincial Britain, at teatime, many rail services cease for a "maintenance break" - really just tea.
would go down.
OTOH, the picture regarding service on French regional lines is mixed. There are the good sides (see our recent pics of new, comfortable regional trains), but it's undoubtedly the case that the regions themselves have furthered improvement and are keeping lines open (by funding them) against the wishes of SNCF, which often seems to be dragging its feet. SNCF seems only really enthusiastic about running TGVs.
