It is this Monday, December 14 that the extension to Saint-Ouen (Seine-Saint-Denis) of line 14 of the Paris metro opens.
This section of 5.8 kilometers will integrate four new stations (Pont Cardinet, Porte de Clichy - which will only open in January -, Clichy-Saint-Ouen and Mairie de Saint-Ouen).
Read also: "This is a historic moment": why the extension of line 14 arouses the enthusiasm of the north-west of Paris
An inauguration (which you can follow on https://direct.prolongerligne14-mairie-saint-ouen.fr/) will take place in the middle of the afternoon in the presence of Prime Minister Jean Castex, Barbara Pompili, Minister of Transition ecological and Jean-Baptiste Djebarri, in charge of Transport, Valérie Pécresse, president of the Regional Council of Ile-de-France, Anne Hidalgo, mayor of Paris or Catherine Gouaillard, CEO of the RATP group.
The goal?
Desaturate line 13, criticized for its frequent congestion, by around 25% of its traffic.
For the president of Ile-de-France Mobilités Valérie Pécresse, the prospect of inaugurating this section between Gare Saint-Lazare and Mairie de Saint-Ouen is "
a moment of pure happiness"
.
"
We had this line 14, which did not come, which did not come, which did not come
...", she quips, referring to the many delays suffered by the site, due to flooding and of Covid-19.
The idea of extending this automatic metro line to Saint-Ouen dates back to 2007. It then appeared as the most satisfactory solution to relieve the north of line 13. With the promise to relieve it of the quarter of its traffic.
Valérie Pécresse boasts "
one of the most modern lines in the world"
, the only one in the Parisian network accessible to the disabled, too.
Read also: RATP puts its new generation of metros into service on line 14
The extension of line 14 - which is still sometimes called "Meteor" - must also better serve rapidly developing sectors with the new Batignolles district, the Paris Tribunal or the many offices emerging from the ground in Saint-Ouen. where the Ile-de-France regional council is located.
Beyond that, work is in full swing for new extensions both to the north, to Saint-Denis Pleyel (Seine-Saint-Denis) in 2023 if all goes well, and to the south, to the airport of 'Orly (Essonne) in 2024. With the change of the automation system, still supplied by the German group Siemens.
"
We will be at the rendezvous of the Olympics on both sides,
" assures Louis Villié, the director of the line at RATP.
Pleyel will indeed host the Olympic Village for the 2024 Games. At the other end, the connection to the airport is considered strategic.
"
It will of course be the line for the Olympics, but not only: it will be the line of everyday life"
, underlines Valérie Pécresse, who speaks of "
a new backbone of Ile-de-France"
benefiting Val-de- Marne and Seine-Saint-Denis.
With this extension, line 14 will then be 27 kilometers long.
And its attendance is expected to drop from 550,000 travelers per day (before the coronavirus pandemic) to 1 million.
"
It will be the most important line of the network"
, approves Louis Villié.
And also “
the first line of the Grand Paris metro”
.
It will indeed connect to the supermetro currently under construction around the capital at Pleyel, Villejuif (Val-de-Marne) and Orly.
The Société du Grand Paris (SGP), responsible for building this supermetro, is also financing 58% of the 1.4 billion euros spent to extend line 14 to Saint-Ouen and 100% of the two following sections to Pleyel. and Orly (850 million and 2.8 billion euros, respectively).
Ile-de-France Mobilités for its part finances rolling stock (620 million for the moment) and covers the operating deficit.
For RATP, the challenge now is to do as well as on the current 8.6 kilometers of the line, very Parisian, where passengers are, according to it, 98% satisfied.
“
We really want this to be the showcase for the RATP group.
And that's where we want to show our know-how, ”
emphasizes Louis Villié.
The stakes are high at a time when the sector is gradually opening up to competition.
Valérie Pécresse has also recently tackled the RATP, praising line 14, automatic as will be the other lines of Grand Paris: “
Who says automatic says not impacted by strikes, a subject always sensitive to travelers
.
"
"
Even when it is automatic, there is always the world to welcome people in the resorts "
, said Catherine Guillouard, CEO of the Board.
In fact, the staff assigned to line 14 will increase from 180 to 250 people.
