At the management of SNCF Ile-de-France, we bless the Paris 2024 Games. The event is an opportunity to change some old habits, considered to weigh heavily on the quality of service by the hierarchs of the railway company and above all risking causing traffic blockages when transporting spectators to the events.
High point of this little revolution: it was decided to put an end to the obligation for trains to stop all traffic when people are on the track. SNCF worked for five years with the Public Railway Safety Establishment (EPSF) on the possibility of implementing this new protocol, discreetly applicable since 1er June across the entire network. This change stipulates that, in the event of intrusion on the tracks, the trains will be able to travel at very low speed − “walking cautiously”according to the house jargon.
“This decision allows us to mitigate the effects of intrusions. These can cause traffic embolism and contribute to adding incidents to the incident”, explains Séverine Lepère, Ile-de-France deputy general director of SNCF Réseau. The processing time for intrusions has been reduced by 40% since this summer, according to SNCF. “It’s true that regularity has improved, but the feeling that we are sacrificing safety rules for the sake of fluidity is also present among colleagues”nuance a driver based at Lyon station.
Work suspended
This upheaval is not the only point on which the SNCF is working to prevent major traffic blockages. A dialogue is being finalized with the SAMU, the AP-HP, the Paris firefighters and the police headquarters so that the trains are immobilized for less time than today in the event of a passenger becoming unwell on a train. The precise conditions under which the sick user can be lowered onto the platform while waiting for help are being studied.
Finally, SNCF Réseau – the entity which manages the tracks, platforms and stations – has generally reorganized itself in Ile-de-France in anticipation of the Olympic Games. The numerous works that punctuate the Ile-de-France network will be gradually reduced, then almost completely suspended during the competition period (from July 26 to September 8). Part of the works teams will be reassigned to maintenance operations (monitoring and repair of the track) and 410 switchers will have been hired in thirteen months (at the end of January 2024) and trained to be all operational by the summer.