Air France’s bid to roll out a new range of high-speed trains has been shelved for the time being following newly introduced government legislation which many believe is a deliberate ploy to restrict the freedom of operation of the airline.

In July 2008, the plans for a high-speed rail network were revealed but Air France acknowledged at the time that due to the lack of visibility over French rail deregulation rules that the dossier was not considered urgent.

Air France, which operates under the Air France-KLM banner, had hoped to implement a new rail service for international rail passengers when the rules governing the market became open up by the European Union this month. However, specifically French regulations appear to have stalled the prospect of any near future launch as the government demands a greater proportion of the income and also seeks to limit the numbers of passengers that can be collected from one country as ongoing immigration fears continue to dominate all aspects of French policy making.

EU rules state that international trains may collect and carry international passengers within an individual country but that that country has the right to restrict services where they feel that any existing state-subsidized services may be affected. The new French rules, which came into place last month, means that regulators can ban any service deemed harmful to those that are publicly subsidized.

SNCF, the state run train operator in France, has been repeatedly angered by government policy which limits the capabilities of private rail operators.