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Closed for several decades, the Médoquine station, in Talence (Gironde), should soon welcome travelers again, as part of the establishment of the metropolitan RER around the Bordeaux conurbation.
While the first works should begin shortly, the old part of the station dedicated to travelers is currently occupied by five families and ten children, whose situation remains uncertain.
“
An evacuation was already planned for December 2022
”, specifies SNCF Gare & Connexions, but “
it was decided to lift the procedure in order to allow four additional months for the occupants to find a solution
”.
Spring has arrived, but the families squatting in the station building are still present.
"
We need the building to be evacuated to be able to start the work
", now indicates the SNCF, which claims "
to have postponed the work as much as possible to give them time to turn around
".
A new deadline "
is no longer possible
" and a bailiff will therefore go to the scene this week, to relaunch the eviction procedure.
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Once the building has been freed from its occupants, "
significant interior fittings
" will take place, in order to "be
able to accommodate the site's living base from September
", explains the SNCF.
The construction site of the future station itself (the creation of platforms, a footbridge, stairs, etc.) can then begin, for a reopening to travelers scheduled for September 2025.
For the occupants, this schedule is considered far too expeditious.
Rachid Belhamri, president of the collective La Piraterie, an organization which aims "
to provide mutual aid and support to people in emergency and precarious situations
", considers for his part that the decision of the SNCF is "
something completely unfair which respects neither human rights nor the rights of the child
", and "
wishes that the expulsion does not take place
", at least "
until the children finish their school year
", i.e. until in July 2023.
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A train station 5 minutes from Bordeaux and Pessac
The future importance of the Médoquine station is highlighted by the defenders of the project.
“
Talence is the only French city with more than 40,000 inhabitants which is not served by rail traffic.
However, every day, Médoquine sees more than 100 TER.
The station enjoys a strategic location, where the Bordeaux-Irun and Bordeaux-Médoc lines
meet
.
But, at present, no train stops there
, ”explains the town hall of Talence.
Once the station is once again served by trains, several positive spin-offs are expected in the surrounding area.
"
On a metropolitan scale, the journey time to the Bordeaux Saint-Jean and Pessac stations will only be 5 minutes
", rejoices the municipality.
"
A true multimodal platform, it will offer its users the possibility of combining pedestrian, bicycle, carpooling or public transport travel
".
In all, “
148,000 people will be directly impacted by the reopening of the station
”.
An argument which is however not called into question by the supporters of the families on the spot.
The Insoumis MP for Gironde, Loïc Prud'homme, wants an increase in the frequency and circuits of the TER and says he is "
absolutely in favor of SNCF Gare & Connexions taking care of the return to service of the station
" of the Medoquine.
But the parliamentarian also asks that the ten children housed on site "
can finish their school year
".
According to this elected official, "
there is no rush to fire them on
April 4 without a solution behind
", recalling in turn that "
children have rights
".
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