Beware of heatstroke!
The Paris region is experiencing an episode of high heat, at least until Sunday.
Vulnerable people are urged to stay home and avoid physical exertion.
For others, how do you get around without suffering too much from the temperatures?
The public transport network is marked by major disparities in terms of comfort… In trains and metros, “air conditioning” strictly speaking does not exist.
Only recent or renovated equipment has so-called “refrigerated ventilation” mechanisms, allowing passengers to be relieved by a few degrees.
“For years, for ideological reasons, the generalization of “air conditioning” in Ile-de-France transport was not on the agenda, regrets Grégoire de Lasteyrie, mayor of Palaiseau (DVD) and vice-president of Île-de-France Mobilités, organizing authority for transport in the Paris region.
Since 2016, for the president Valérie Pécresse, and myself, things have been clear: air conditioning is not an option!
Because without air conditioning in transport, people will prefer to take their car.
And it is better to have an air-conditioned bus than 10 individual cars with the air conditioning on full blast.
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Gradually, where new or renovated equipment has been put into service, passenger comfort has improved.
But it is better to find out which lines to choose or avoid.
A short guide to getting there.
Metro: prefer lines 1, 2, 5 and 9
This will probably force you to take a few detours.
But it is better to avoid certain lines when possible.
In particular 3, 3bis, 6, 10, 11 and 12. They only have natural ventilation.
Worse, the 6 is aerial and therefore often in direct sunlight.
When at 8, on the Créteil side, in Val-de-Marne, the trains can be stored in exterior garage tracks.
Suffice to say that the train quickly becomes a furnace.
Instead, bet on the cooler metros like the 2, which according to our measurements, is generally the most pleasant.
Otherwise 1.5, 9 or 14 (for new trains).
They are equipped with a device that consumes less energy than the air conditioning but which diffuses cooled outside air.
The RATP has repeated this regularly.
It does not plan to generalize air conditioning.
For technical reasons, but also ecological ones.
Air conditioning consists of cooling a mixture of indoor air and outdoor air in a closed circuit.
Except that the system consumes energy and the passenger compartment is heated by the regular opening of the doors.
It is therefore impossible to obtain a low and uniform temperature in the train.
Worse, the energy consumed reappears in the form of heat in the tunnels and on the platforms.
While the temperature must be close to 40° in Ile-de-France, travelers organize themselves with fans, bottles of water, etc.
LP/Sebastien Compagnon
RER and Transilien: some lines completely refrigerated, others little
The equipment of many Transilien and RER lines is being replaced.
On the SNCF Transilien networks, 65% of trains are now “refrigerated”, and the rate rises to 75% when RATP trains (RER A and B) are included.
Little by little, the “fresh” train rate is progressing.
" There will be
685 new or renovated trains in all by the end of 2022, underlines Grégoire de Lasteyrie.
All new trains will be air-conditioned and renovated trains will mostly be equipped with refrigerated ventilation”.
For example, on line R, there are about forty new trains.
On the RER D, only the Malesherbes branch has new equipment.
Other travelers will have to wait for the RER NG around 2023. The result is often a lottery.
And if the one coming up isn't air-conditioned, maybe the next one is.
Ditto for the RER B, on which some trains have been renovated.
Others not yet.
The MI84s are equipped with the famous forced mechanical ventilation: natural ventilation.
If possible, it is better to avoid them.
In these oldest trains, far-sighted travelers will opt for a small portable fan, which can be very pleasant.
Read alsoRER, metro, Transilien, Tramway... here are the lines that will be under construction this summer
On the L, J, H, K, P, N or E, on the other hand, the deployment of new trains is finished or almost.
Almost all are air-conditioned, as is the case on the RER A. Namely: in all cases, the "refrigeration" works optimally with the windows closed.
40% of buses are air-conditioned
“Since 2019, all the buses ordered have been equipped with a gentle air conditioning system so as not to consume too much energy”, underlines Grégoire de Lasteyrie.
Result: 40% of the 10,500 buses and coaches circulating throughout the region are now air-conditioned (ie 4,200 vehicles in all), including 100% of Express lines.
At the RATP, 1198 buses are air-conditioned out of 4886. If your line includes electric, gas or hybrid buses: get on board, there is a good chance that it will be cold.
All tram lines are air-conditioned except for the T1, in Seine-Saint-Denis, which dates from 1992. LP / Olivier Boitet
In the tram, freshness guaranteed
Apart from T1, in Seine-Saint-Denis, which dates from 1992, all the other tram lines are air-conditioned.
Patience, the T1 trains must be renewed "between 2024 and 2025".
Why not carpooling with air conditioning option?
According to carpooling app Karos, it's the question of the moment: "Do you have an air-conditioned car?"
".
“Is there air conditioning?
“, assures its leader, referring to the exchanges between subscribers.
The option may be good: that of leaving your car in the garage to move around in an air-conditioned vehicle.
When choosing your driver, you can ask.
Remember, in Île-de-France, carpooling is free for holders of a Navigo pass.
The bike offers natural ventilation... but be careful not to push the pedals too hard when it's hot.
LP/Olivier Arandel
The bike: hair in the wind, but easy on the pedals
If you don't force the pedals too hard, the bike option will allow you to have a little more air than in the metro or on foot.
Prefer less hot hours.
Even better, choose the slightly shaded cycle paths: the Tuileries underground, in Paris, the Cours la Reine or the woods, the Saint-Michel/Sevastopol axis or the upper left bank, especially in its western part.
Scooters and electric scooters: the right plan
In Paris, self-service electric scooters and scooters can offer a ride in the open air.
Download the apps (Lime, TIER, Dott, Cityscoot, Cooltra, Yego, etc.) and register.
Good to know: daily or round-trip packages are often much more attractive than billing by the minute.
Gloves are mandatory for scooters.
In any case, don't forget to stay hydrated by drinking water.
Good trip.