Le Figaro Nantes
Will the Nantes trams be impacted by the possible power cuts envisaged by RTE and the French government to avoid a complete blackout during the winter of 2023?
The answer is yes.
Partial and temporary cuts are to be expected according to Semitan, the mixed economy company which operates the public transport network in the Nantes conurbation.
Everything will depend on the geographical sector concerned by the power cuts, which, as a reminder, are supposed to last two hours during the time slots between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. then 6 p.m. and 8 p.m.
“For the tramway, if the load shedding remains localized at a catenary supply point, it can continue to operate because it remains supplied at several other points. In the event of the simultaneous loss of several supply points on a section of line, Semitan will be led as a preventive measure to no longer run trams in the sector concerned for the duration of the load shedding”
, confirms
Semitan to
Figaro .
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If cuts are therefore possible, it is also necessary to count on a possible slowing down of the speed of circulation of the trams:
"When the stations and the public lighting are switched off, at night, if the trams are running they will be slowed down for reasons of visibility and safety.
»
.
Users will be notified of outages
The circulation of chronobuses and buses in the Nantes conurbation could also be strongly impacted by possible power cuts
"especially at peak times"
, notes Semitan.
The reason ?
“The non-functioning of road lights and the blockages of intersections”
, is it advanced.
Whether for buses or trams, traffic disruptions are likely to extend beyond the time slot affected by load shedding.
“When reloading, the nominal situation will not be restored immediately given certain equipment which will have to be restarted manually and the gradual reduction of traffic disruptions”
, adds Semitan.
Users will therefore perhaps have to be patient on certain days this winter.
In order to best help them to anticipate difficulties, Semitan provides, if necessary, specific communication.
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“In any case, customer information will be provided through the usual channels as soon as the disruption forecasts are known, in particular via twitter
,” she specifies.
The principle is that RTE and Enedis define a D-3 load shedding plan.
This must be sent to Semitan the day before at the end of the day so that it can organize itself as well as possible and warn users.
“It should be noted, however, that in the offloaded sector, the station information panels will no longer work and the GSM network will not be guaranteed.
Real-time information in the offloaded sector will therefore also be disrupted
,” concludes Semitan.
