The Aix-Marseille-Provence Chamber of Commerce and Industry and associations representing Marseille employers deplored the “last minute” announcement of the closure of the metro on weekday evenings for a foreseeable period of two years, “source ‘obvious concern’ for employees.
This announcement by the Régie des transports métropolitains (RTM) on September 27 was justified by the need to automate the public transport network of the second largest city in France, whose territory is particularly large (more than twice that of Paris). ). This closure is planned from November.
“No prior information”
“The recent announcements in the press reporting a total interruption of services on the two metro lines from 9:30 p.m., from Monday to Thursday, can only question us on the form, especially just a few days before their implementation,” lamented the CCI in a letter addressed to the president of the RTM on September 29, a copy of which AFP obtained.
The signatories of the letter – the CCI, the Federation of downtown businesses, the Confederation of small and medium-sized businesses, the professional organization Umih and the Top 20 Club bringing together business leaders – also regret that the decision “n has not been the subject of any prior information or consultation with representatives of the economic world.
“A brutal decision”
The RTM announced the establishment of a free replacement bus service, with a passage every 10 minutes, and the signatories of the letter ask that the effectiveness of the alternative systems put in place be “measured”.
The National Federation of Transport User Associations (Fnaut) also published a press release on Wednesday deploring a “brutal decision” and the absence of “prior consultation”.
Anger of the town hall
The installation of buses to replace the metros, “does not seem feasible to us currently given the number of drivers needed”, also estimated Fnaut, calling for “additional hiring” in order not to “undress the day to dress the evening “.
The public transport network is not managed by the municipality, led by a left-wing coalition, but by the Aix-Marseille-Provence metropolis, led by a right-wing majority.
The RTM’s announcement last week had already aroused the anger of the municipality, which deemed the decision “completely anachronistic”. “We have the impression that the metropolis is putting a curfew on Marseille,” declared the mobility assistant, Audrey Gatian.