Getting around quickly by public transport may turn into a headache this summer in the Paris region. From June to September, no less than five RER lines, seven Transilien lines, nine metro lines and four tram lines will experience interruptions to carry out major works. These summer projects are not new but they will be of exceptional magnitude, one year before the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
For months, Île-de-France Mobilités (IDFM), SNCF and RATP have been working to inform passengers in advance and offer them alternative solutions... when possible. In the summer of 2022, with the shortage of bus drivers, many travelers had complained about vehicles being too limited.
70,000 bus trips, twice as many as in 2022
"This year, we launched information campaigns in March, with posters in stations or messages on social networks," explains Jean-François Perrin, production manager at SNCF Transilien. The recruitment of drivers, the mobilization of vehicles and the preparation of alternative routes took a year of work. Thus, 2,300 buses and coaches will be set up, ensuring 70,000 trips. That's double 2022. »
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For Monday 14 August alone, a very special day, no less than 600 buses and 1,000 drivers will take turns to serve the RER B stations closed between Gare du Nord and Mitry-Mory (Seine-et-Marne). "It's the equivalent of the bus network in the Grenoble agglomeration (Isère)," says Jean-François Perrin. The locations of replacement bus stops have been reviewed, as well as signage for passengers.
Reinforced regular lines
To compensate for the lack of service on the central part of the RER C, line 10 of the metro will be reinforced by the RATP. And on the RATP network, regular bus lines will be increased during metro section closures. The scale of the summer construction sites are also an opportunity to renovate the passenger information system, which is often singled out for its inaccuracies.
In order to provide reliable and homogeneous information, SNCF, RATP and IDFM ensure that joint work has been carried out in recent months to update the data on the various apps.