“The RER B is a line that has been in abeyance for too many years…” In a few words, Valérie Pécresse, president of the region and of Île-de-France Mobilités (IDFM), the transport authority, summed up what think the users of the second busiest passenger line in Europe.
Daily delays, incidents, transport conditions… To stop the deterioration of service observed for many years, accentuated by the 15% increase in attendance between 2015 and 2019, IDFM commissioned an audit from specialized companies, with head Yves Ramette, former general director of RATP and SNCF network (the two entities concerned by the line). The objective: Establish a diagnosis and propose an action plan to “reverse the curve” and even make it nothing less than “one of the most reliable lines in the world”, says Valérie Pécresse, with a “worthy” regularity. of the metro”.
Target 95% regularity in 2031
With a regularity rate below 86% today, there is work to be done. “We aim to increase this rate by 1% per year to reach 95% in 2031,” adds the former presidential candidate. An objective which could be helped by the planned arrival of the new, more spacious MI20 trains in 2030.
Because the obsolescence of the trains in place (MI79 and MI84) is one of the reasons put forward to justify delays. This data is not improving since according to the audit, incidents linked to rolling stock incidents have increased sharply since 2018 (+54%).
Train maintenance cannot keep pace
Requiring special maintenance due to their great age, the trainsets are most often unavailable “due to difficulties linked to maintenance”, explains the report presented this Tuesday. Maintenance made delicate by the management of the two workshops managed by the RATP of Mitry-Mory (77) to the north of the line, and of Massy, slowed down by work to adapt to future MI20 trains and problems of upgrading to standards of electrification. Furthermore, as the report notes, priority is given to operation rather than maintenance to ensure service, which adds to the risks of technical incidents. In 2022, only 80.7% of days have the number of trains sufficient to achieve the offer. In short, the oar that bites its tail.
To deal with the lack of rolling stock in operation, Yves Ramette suggests adapting the renovation of eight MI84 trains to be able to put them back into service as quickly as possible. This advice has already been applied by operators since one of them is already on track, another was released at the start of the week and another should resume service at the beginning of November. The last five are hoped for before the Olympics. “Greater availability of trains will allow easier maintenance management,” explains the former CEO of RATP. Likewise, the management of the Mitry center, which is underutilized, should be reviewed.
SNCF Réseau, SNCF Transilien, RATP, too many players for a single line
But the equipment is not the only one involved in the setbacks of the RER B. The big problem also comes, and above all (according to the audit report), from the organization of the line. If IDFM is the transport authority in the region, the RER B is a two-headed hydra. One in the north, managed by the SNCF, the other in its southern part, managed by the RATP. Two different companies, with different cultures (metro vs train), and different tools. “Shared management is at the heart of the majority of the problems identified,” explains Yves Ramette. Too many stakeholders in decision-making and performance management, difficulties in sharing information, etc.
Also, the report recommends initially “defining contractual performance objectives between SNCF Réseau and IDFM” in the short term. To adapt the organization to “strengthen the shared responsibility” of the two companies across the entire line, and especially the establishment of a shared scheduling tool between SNCF and RATP.
A system to manage the tunnel under Châtelet and soon a single command center?
First step towards this unification of the management of the RER B, the financing, recorded and signed since Thursday October 12, of the train passage optimization system called “NexTeo” intended to manage traffic in the common tunnel of the RER B and D between Châtelet and Gare du Nord, also a major source of incidents and delays. Its commissioning is planned “at the latest” for 2031.
These unification actions must, according to the audit report, lead to the formal creation of a “CCU” (Unified Command Center) for the RER B and D. To succeed in granting all these operations, Yves Ramette recommends the appointment of a conductor, “high-level management”, unifying and, undoubtedly, diplomatic (Jean Castex?).
“We are happy that the experts we listen to make the same observation that we have been making for several years,” comments Marc Pélissier, spokesperson for the National Federation of Transport User Associations (Fnaut), satisfied that Valérie Pécresse raised the possibility of management by a single operator if the results are not felt within a few years. “It’s still a delicate subject as we know the complicated relations between the RATP and the SNCF, but the important thing for the moment is that they make the effort to work together,” he adds. “We are not expecting any dramatic effects immediately, but we are delighted that the ideas are going in the right direction. »