The extensive maintenance and upgrade works on France's metre-gauge 62.6 kilometre Ligne de la Cerdagne (Train Jaune or Yellow Train) in the Eastern Pyrenees have continued in 2023, with closure of the section between Villefranche-Vernetles-Bains and Font-Romeu-Odeillo-Via from the 27th of February to the 27th of April. Originally the entire line had been scheduled for closure, but at the request of the Région Occitanie regional authority a three-coach train was retained at the upper end to run a twice-daily return service between Latour-de-Carol-Enveitg and Font-Romeu-Odeillo-Via, providing unusually good connections with the SNCF night services from Paris.
The region is the most rail-friendly in France and is currently, through an agency called Plan Rail, allocating resources from an 800-million-euro fund. Since 2010 80 million euros has been invested in the Yellow Train, and a sharing of costs reflects ongoing
