We don’t yet know what happened. On November 18, a fire broke out in an electrical room located in the parking lot of the workshop garage on line B of the Rennes metro. Inaugurated a little over a year ago, the automatic equipment developed by Siemens Mobility has worked rather well until now, even displaying an availability rate of 97% which placed it in the top 10 worldwide. But that was before. Destroyed by the flames, the electricity network of the beautiful metro has been out of service for ten days. And it’s not over. According to Keolis, the reopening of the line will not take place before December 18 at best.
A still mysterious fire
We don’t know much at the moment. Keolis can already affirm that the fire is not of criminal origin but rather accidental. “We know there was an emergency brake application shortly before the fire, but we don’t know if that was related. We are continuing our investigations,” explains Ronan Kerloc’h, director of Keolis Rennes. The flames were apparently active for “several minutes” before the arrival of firefighters, alerted by the Star network security PC. According to the operator, it took firefighters twenty minutes to bring the fire under control. The damage is significant, particularly to the electrical networks which power the traction of the 25 trains on line B. The so-called “weak” network, which notably manages the automation of the stations, was also damaged.
What bill for the community?
The overall cost of the construction of metro line B was announced at 1.3 billion euros. A substantial amount that the Rennes metropolis will have to repay until 2049. Will the damage from the fire weigh on public accounts? “There will be no impact on the community’s finances. Everything will be covered by the various insurance companies,” promises the director of Keolis Rennes. The battle promises to be fierce to determine everyone’s responsibility, while the origin of the fire has still not been proven.
The vice-president of Rennes Métropole, Matthieu Theurier, however recognizes that there will be “an impact on revenue”. “Line B represents more than 25% of trips on our network. Yes, there will be an impact, but it is a little early to quantify it. »
Asked about a possible commercial gesture linked to the total shutdown of the line for at least a month, the elected environmentalist was more evasive. “We use our energy to resolve the problem as quickly as possible. Depending on the time of unavailability, we will look. We hear the requests, we will study them,” assures Nathalie Appéré’s deputy.
To console itself, the Star network can turn to the attendance figures for its buses, which are regularly stormed by travelers. Lines have been reinforced but cohabitation sometimes remains complicated. Some line B regulars have found a more sporty solution by using self-service bicycles. Having struggled for several years, the Vélostar network has seen its attendance increase by 40% over the past ten days.