An RER B line train at Châtelet-les Halles station in Paris, December 9, 2019 (AFP/Archives/Aurore MESENGE)
The Court of Auditors estimated Wednesday in a report that the performances of the RER operators in Ile-de-France – the RATP and the SNCF – were “unsatisfactory”, calling for more controls, investments and a change of direction. organization on line B.
“It is a clearly mixed assessment”, summarized to the press the first president of the Court of Auditors, Pierre Moscovici, affirming that the performances of the operators “were not satisfactory” and “remained below the objectives “.
“Lines B and D, which have high traffic, a mediocre punctuality rate and a predictable increase in ridership, are the most worrying,” he said, sparing line A, “which has benefited from numerous investments”. These two lines are “saturated”, their capacity is “ceiling”, while “their traffic has increased by 2% per year since 2010”, describes the report.
The joint operation of line B by RATP and SNCF is, in particular, “inadequate”, “too complex, even illegible”, according to the report. The Court of Auditors pleads for “a new organization, adapted to a line logic”, “without waiting for the opening to competition in 2040”.
Overall, “the RER suffers from a certain underinvestment, characterized by delays and insufficient infrastructure maintenance,” says Mr. Moscovici.
Faced with certain trains dating from the 1980s or century-old catenaries “almost without wheels”, it is a “necessity, even an emergency” for Ile-de-France Mobilités (IDFM), the transport organizing authority, and its operators “to invest jointly,” he added.
Pierre Moscovici particularly pointed out the lack of “direct responsibility” of SNCF Réseau in the maintenance of infrastructure, which creates a “blatant asymmetry” with the RATP. To remedy this, he recommends “contractually” associating this entity independent of SNCF with IDFM, via a form of financial incentive.
In addition, the Court of Auditors advises implementing an “operator audit strategy” and requests that the method of satisfaction surveys that they must carry out each year – conditioning part of their bonus-malus – be reviewed.
Indeed, after having itself questioned 4,000 regular travelers, the Court noticed that the satisfaction rates were “more modest” than in these surveys, where operators did not give enough weight to punctuality and frequency. trains.
“Obviously, [ce changement de méthodologie] will have an impact on penalty bonuses,” underlines Mr. Moscovici.
© 2023 AFP
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