Macron's disputed rail reform approved

PARIS - French President Emmanuel Macron's reform to revamp the debt-ridden National Society of French Railways (SNCF) was definitively endorsed on Thursday after winning the majority's support at the country's two houses of parliament.

Earlier in the day, 245 senators gave the green light to the government to implement the new railway pact while 82 votes against.

On Wednesday, the National Assembly, the lower house of parliament, endorsed SNCF reform with a total of 452 out of 563 lawmakers backed the bill.

As part of Macron's reforms drive to revive the economy, the government targets to open domestic rail passenger services to create dynamism in the sector in addition to new recruitment rules to create "a more efficient and unified" rail operator.

Besides, it proposed to scrap the preferential terms of rail workers, including retirement on full pension at 52, a decade earlier than other French employees.

Facing a showdown with trade unions that staged rolling strikes, it offered to absorb 35 billion euros of the SNCF's debt load of 46 billion euros with 25 billion euros by 2020 and 10 billion euros by 2022.

SNCF is France's national state-owned railway company. It operates the country's national railway traffic, including the TGV, France's high-speed rail network.