A former prime minister at the head of the RATP.
This Wednesday, Jean Castex was officially appointed CEO of the railway company, during the Council of Ministers.
The one who was appointed in mid-August as president of the Infrastructure Financing Agency (Afit) will therefore take over from Catherine Guillouard, who left the company in mid-September for personal reasons.
In early November, his appointment was endorsed by Parliament.
On the National Assembly side, the members of the Sustainable Development Committee supported this proposal by 34 votes to 19. In the Senate, Elisabeth Borne's predecessor won 18 votes for, 8 against and two blank votes.
Read alsoJean Castex, a train enthusiast at RATP
In an opinion, mid-October, the High Authority for the Transparency of Public Life (HATVP) had given the green light to this appointment, while expressing reservations.
Jean Castex will thus not be able to come into contact, for three years, with “members of the Government in office who were also in office when he was Prime Minister as well as members of his cabinet who still occupy public functions”.
He must also refrain from discussing with “departments which were placed under his direct authority when he was Prime Minister, until May 16, 2025”.
A means of ensuring that there is no conflict of interest.
Major challenges ahead
Endless waiting times, internal tensions, lagging recruitment, fraudulent work stoppages, "
absenteeism
", opening up to competition, ecological transition putting public transport back at the center of the game, pension reform calling into question the special regime for agents of the RATP, rising energy prices... The new CEO will have a lot to do, while the network is today undermined by many faults and shortcomings that exasperated users feel on a daily basis.
Facing the elected members of Parliament, Jean Castex declared that he wanted to focus on
“the core business
” of the RATP.
Acknowledging “
the load of difficulties
” that await him, the former prime minister assured MPs that he wanted to “
continue to [se] be useful
” in his new position.
Despite the company's difficulties, he refused to fall "
into RATP-bashing
": "
I have the firm conviction that the RATP is big enough
to overcome the challenges to come, he said, emphasizing those, in the very short term, of social dialogue in the company and the quality of service.
A vast program, while users in the Ile-de-France region continue to have to deal with delays, disruptions and cancellations on their daily journeys.
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