In the background on the phone, we perceive a certain hubbub behind the voice of Pierre Dumont this Monday, December 6 in the evening.
The president of the Paris-Cherbourg Users Union (UDUPC) has just boarded his train at Saint-Lazare station in Paris, slightly angry: “Once again, it's overloaded!
"A situation which annoys the associations of travelers who once again utter a cry of anger and reactivate a strike to present transport tickets.
In question, a degradation of the regularity of the Norman trains, a sea serpent for years.
“In 2021, we see an improvement, tempers the Vice-president of the Normandy region, Jean-Baptiste Gastine.
But it is true that October and November are more complicated.
From a range of 93% to 95% consistency, the trend fell to 91% in October and 89.9% in November.
In other words, it happens to one in ten trains.
“Even if it's better than before, it's still important for those who take the train every day.
"
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In a press release, user associations mention, for example, a Caen-Paris of November 29, "which was already to group two trains into one and which finally grouped three trains into one because of the abolition of the 5-hour train, and which was made up of a single unit ”, that is to say made up of a single train. A situation which resulted in a very high attendance. The travelers deplore in block the cancellations of trains, delays and problems of management "of an insufficient regional railway fleet because badly dimensioned", according to Pierre Dumont of the UDUPC.
A weariness perhaps equal to the hopes generated by the arrival of the new Omnéo trainsets to replace the old Corail trains.
The fortieth train set in the first series was delivered in September, pending the second series in 2024. “We have heard promises with the Omneos.
But the situation is not as good as we had been told ”, impatiently the president of the UDUPC.
"We will be ready for the holiday meeting"
Juliette Debeaupuis-Daumas, Director of Territorial Relations for the Norman Lines
On the side of the SNCF, we insist on the fact that the trend is improving, with regularity figures for Norman trains increasing in 2021. If the end of the year is more difficult, this can be explained by several factors. combine and undermine material and logistics. “Particularly since the end of October, poses Juliette Debeaupuis-Daumas, director of territorial relations for the Norman lines. We had the Aurora storm, an increase in shocks, abandoned packages and the closure of our Clichy site (Hauts-de-Seine), where trains leaving Saint-Lazare are stored and maintained… ”This cocktail is for the origin of the disturbances on the network. The work in Clichy, for example, involved storing the trains in Rouen (Seine-Maritime). Which must therefore first reach Paris to take the start.
The vagaries of the weather put the equipment to the test.
The Aurora storm worsened the phenomenon of dead leaves, "the scourge of the railway", and spread over time this year.
"The leaves are placed on the rails," describes Juliette Debeaupuis-Daumas.
The train slips when accelerating and slips when braking.
This has the consequences, among other things, of deforming the wheels, which must be reshaped.
This repair takes about eight hours and is carried out with special equipment, a pit lathe, which the SNCF has just acquired near Rouen.
Read also The Hauts-de-France region suspends its payments to the SNCF because of the many delays and cancellations
Other time-consuming work on trains: shocks.
Impacts with cars but also with… game.
“With the Covid, animals have proliferated and hunting has been reduced.
We end up with more animals straying and more shocks on the tracks ”, continues the executive of the SNCF.
In Calvados, battues are reinforced to regulate certain game populations.
Finally, another current issue, a national action plan is being studied in the face of the upsurge in packages abandoned at stations.
An audit of the equipment fleet and reimbursement of a month's subscription claimed
SNCF ensures that the Normandy rail fleet is capable of responding to the current transport plan. A new organizational method was recently validated to better anticipate needs and attendance. SNCF teams meet twice a day to observe the crowds in the trains and better calibrate those for the next day. “But sometimes, since reservations are not always compulsory, we have surprises with trains that fill up at the last minute. "
Explanations which only partially convince the users, who demand an audit of the equipment park and the reimbursement of a month's subscription to compensate for the inconvenience.
After several delicate weeks, an improvement is planned for mid-December.
"We will be ready for the holiday meeting", promises Juliette Debeaupuis-Daumas.
92
%
regularity of trains, this is the performance contract signed between SNCF and the Normandy region
The end of the year will refine the final regularity score for Norman trains for 2021. This is far from trivial since a target of 92% has been decided between the Normandy Region and SNCF since the signing of a performance contract in November 2020. “We were in phase with the objective until October,” indicates Jean-Baptiste Gastine.
Maybe the end of the year will put us a little below.
But it is not sure that this is significant for triggering a penalty or bonus.
"
In the meantime, travelers should refuse to present their ticket in the event of a control.
A “symbolic” protest for Pierre Dumont, revealing the resentment of users tried by years of adventures on the Norman lines.
