Difficult week for RATP and SNCF. After seeing their cooperation called into question on the RER B by Île-de-France Mobilités, the Court of Auditors estimated this Wednesday in a report that the performance of the RER operators in Ile-de-France was “unsatisfactory”, calling for more controls, investments and an organizational change 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 “.
Operation “too complex, even illegible”
“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 plateauing”, 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, “unsuitable”, “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”.
A definite underinvestment
Overall, “the RER suffers from a certain underinvestment, characterized by delays and insufficient maintenance of the infrastructure,” asserts Pierre 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.
Biased satisfaction surveys?
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 bonuses and penalties,” underlines Pierre Moscovici.