It is almost "D-Day".
Next Monday, from 4 p.m., the extension of line 14 of the Paris metro will be effective.
Three new stations will then open their doors: Pont Cardinet, Saint-Ouen and Mairie de Saint-Ouen.
The terminus of this fully automatic line will therefore no longer be Saint-Lazare but the town hall of Saint-Ouen.
A fourth station (Porte de Clichy) will open in January.
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This extension is undoubtedly good news for users of metro line 13, known to be often crowded at rush hour, which also serves the north-west of Paris.
“
The objective is to desaturate line 13 by around 25% in order to improve the quality of transport for its 650,000 daily users
,” explains RATP.
“
Line 14 passengers will have a high level of service and comfort,
” says the independent agency.
As part of the line extension, RATP has in fact bought new eight-car trains (compared to six currently).
The company says there will be a minimum interval of 85 seconds between trains.
It will take 7 minutes to reach the town hall of Saint-Ouen from Saint-Lazare (compared to 11 minutes with line 13).
In total, with the opening of the extension, ridership of the line will drop from 550,000 to 750,000 travelers per day (or about 35,000 travelers per hour).
"A decisive step"
The extension of line 14 is also good news for the economic attractiveness of the areas served.
According to figures from the RATP, the districts of the metropolitan northwest represent 96,000 inhabitants and 72,000 jobs.
"
This is a historic moment and a decisive step in making our city shine
," enthuses Karim Bouamrane, PS mayor of Saint-Ouen.
“
This will allow our population to get to work in better conditions.
There is also a strategic aspect: with line 13 and line 14, our city will be at the center of the metropolis,
”he continues.
The elected representative spoke of the importance of transport in attracting businesses - as well as their employees - and boosting the region.
The mayor notably cites “
structuring projects
” underway in Saint-Ouen: the arrival of the future headquarters of the General Directorate of Internal Security (DGSI), the hosting of part of the Olympic village for the 2024 Olympic Games, the construction of a large hospital in 2024 or the renovation of the Stade Bauer.
Karim Bouamrane also highlights the importance of the transport policy through an "
ecosystem
": he thus indicates having relaunched the Velib '(his town has nine stations in total), multiplied the cycle paths by five in one year or still working on a river shuttle project.
"Good news with a bitter taste"
The president of the departmental council of Seine-Saint-Denis, Stéphane Troussel, also welcomes the extension of line 14.
“This is good news for the economic and urban development of the territory but also for the daily life of the inhabitants and users.
This will allow line 13 to be unloaded and this gives an alternative to the car, ”he
explains.
It also evokes enhanced access to culture and leisure.
"
But this is good news with a bitter taste because I think of everything that could have changed earlier if the inauguration had taken place in 2017 as planned,
" he tempers.
Stéphane Troussel believes that Seine-Saint-Denis needs public transport to
“open up”
and is worried about the delays caused by other transport projects.
In particular, he cites the extension of line 12 to Aubervilliers town hall, the extension of T1 to Val-de-Fontenay or the delay of Tzen3.
“
We need budgetary and financial decisions, especially in this context of crisis where there are needs for activity and employment.
Now is the time to accelerate investments in public transport
, ”he urges, addressing the State and the region.