Across France, around 5,700 kilometres of small railway lines lie unused. Many of these tracks serve rural areas, but restoring them for heavy, modern trains is often far too expensive to justify. As a result, entire regions have been left with limited public transport options and a growing dependence on private cars.

Rather than trying to bring traditional trains back, one project by engineering firm SICEF is taking a different approach. The Ferromobile project reimagines these disused railways as corridors for lightweight, electric vehicles that can operate both on roads and on rails. By adapting existing vans with specialised rail systems, the project offers a way to reuse infrastructure that would otherwise remain dormant.

Designed to carry up to eight passengers, Ferromobiles aim to provide flexible, low-carbon connections in rural areas. They can run on fixed schedules or be booked on demand, operating automatically on rail sections and driven manually on roads. Crucially, they use existing tracks without sharing space with trains, avoiding costly upgrades or safety conflicts.

With trials beginning on a rural line in the Auvergne region, the project highlights how rethinking mobility doesn’t always require new infrastructure. Sometimes, the most sustainable solutions come from finding smarter ways to use what is already there.