THE solution to improve mobility in an almost million-dollar metropolis or a waste of public money that is also dangerous for the stability of part of the historic building? The subject of the metro, while two routes are currently the subject of studies in the metropolis, divides the inhabitants of the agglomeration. More than a hundred Internet users responded to the call for contributions launched by 20 Minutes. While almost everyone notes a congested tram network, some think that the metro is not the best alternative.
We take stock of the arguments of each side on this large-scale project, which we know would take around ten years to build around twenty kilometers between the right bank and the left bank, for a cost greater than three Billions of Euro’s.
Financial chasm and dangers for the underground, for opponents
Many Internet users point out the exorbitant cost of the metro, recalling that the costs of these projects are often underestimated. “We will end up at five or six billion, taking into account the geological uncertainties,” alarms Luc, one of the opponents of the metro. And for him, it is the owners who will pay the bill through an increase in their property taxes. “As a result, this will lead to an exodus of those in this category who cannot increase their income,” he believes. It is an engineering project which forgets that the community taxpayer is already at the limit. »
Other contributors point to “an old debate” which dates back to Chaban-Delmas. “A study was carried out a few years ago and the tram was favored because of the ground. I don’t believe that the Bordeaux soil has improved over time…”, argues one of them. At that time, the gigantic works linked to the “numerous underground waterways” had contributed to burying the project. “You forget that Bordeaux is on marshes! We really want us to suffer from flooding or collapse of old houses by digging in this fragile basement, adds another. Let’s stop wasting taxpayers’ money and playing with nature. »
And that’s without taking into account the colossal project that this requires. Like this other Internet user who speaks of a “nightmare” and already points out “the high-level bus work, the endless hassle around the Meca, the station, the platforms. » The solution for many of these detractors is to improve the existing bus and tram network, by expanding it. “The metro is an expensive and long project with few improvements to wait for,” summarizes an unenthusiastic Internet user.
The reliability of the metro while the tram is saturated and the metropolis is growing
For those who note the difficulties of tram circulation, whose journey times are often extended and which “depends on urban traffic and bad weather”, the metro is “obvious”. “Between the road network is absolutely always clogged and public transport is too often crowded or broken down. The metro is absolutely necessary to offer a new mobility solution which will be much faster than the tram which is not moving forward,” adds another contributor.
Other supporters of the metro point to the increase in the number of inhabitants in the urban area, which portends increased mobility problems. “Bordeaux is one of the last large metropolises in France not to have a metro. We need to decongest the city. We have reached the limit of what the tram can provide,” said one of the Internet users.
All the news on the metro
Having passed through Lyon, Marseille and Rennes, and accustomed to the metros in these cities, a Bordeaux resident testifies: “Since 2016 that I have lived in Bordeaux, I travel by bike only, since unlike these cities, Bordeaux public transport are slow and inefficient, and in any case not competitive in terms of travel time by bicycle. So: yes, yes and yes to the metro! » Overall, defenders of the metro highlight its reliability and “its much faster transport times” compared to the tram. A resident of Pessac testifies to the travel time to get to Bordeaux station by tram (40 minutes) which he considers dissuasive. He adds: “A line from Lormont to Pessac which would pass through the Saint-Jean station or even the CHU would be relevant”. And it is precisely the most popular route at this stage.
Among the contributors, some are favorable to the idea of a metro but nevertheless wonder about the financing problem. One of them also expresses a major reservation: “all means of intra-community transport must be free, the only solution to anchor the idea of circulation by public transport. Let’s hope that this ambitious project will see the light of day, whatever the cost. »
The debates are only just beginning and could take a big place in the 2026 municipal campaign.