Ile-de-France residents will be able to find out more about the quality of the air they breathe in the corridors of the RER A in Paris. This Thursday, the RATP installed two new air quality measurement terminals in the RER A stations in Nation and Châtelet-Les Halles. These devices capture the particles that roam in the air, sort them and weigh them. Samples are then taken to find out the composition. “Our objective is to play as much as possible on transparency,” assured Sophie Mazoué, director of sustainable development at RATP.
A complaint filed against the RATP
Three terminals are already in service at Châtelet, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Auber stations. The data, permanently visible on the RATP website, caused controversy after the complaint from the Respire association and the RATP autonomous union (SAT-RATP) which considered it to be false. At the same time, RATP is working on a new rail fitting which will be tested on two RER A trainsets for one year. They must limit particle emissions when braking trains. Other solutions, such as increasing the proportion of electric braking to the detriment of mechanical braking, are also being studied.