He never wanted to give his name. So we’ll call it “Jennifer”, the mystery room. As big as the fist of a hand and made of metal, this famous piece can boast of having brought line B of the Rennes metro to a standstill. Causing a lot of hassle for thousands of users. Although he recognized that Jennifer was indeed the cause of the breakdown hitting the Breton capital, the head of Siemens Mobility refused to reveal the identity of the incriminated part. Accused yes, but not yet guilty. “I’m not sure that people are interested,” said Stéphane Bayon de Noyer before being bombarded with questions about the famous mystery room.
On January 3, little Jennifer started to heat up and ended up breaking, causing an emergency stop of train number 56 of line B. “The safety device worked. No traveler was put in danger,” assures Stéphane Bayon de Noyer. A hazard which could be an isolated case but which occurred a month and a half after an initial emergency braking which caused a short circuit, then a fire and paralyzed line B for a month. This time, you will have to wait a little longer. At least three months “in the most reasonable and optimistic version,” Siemens assured this Tuesday.
Are the two failures linked? For the moment, the link has not been established and we will have to wait for the results of lengthy expert studies to find out. While waiting to learn more, Rennes Métropole, Keolis and Siemens have decided to change them all, causing a prolonged shutdown. “We don’t know everything yet, but we now know the origin of the difficulty,” said Nathalie Appéré, referring to Jennifer. The mayor quickly clarified that this problem had “nothing to do” with the guide roller problems which had led to the postponement of the opening of line B to 2022.
4 bogies x 25 trains = 100 Jennifer
But what is Jennifer for? Well, we don’t know exactly. By asking questions, we were able to learn that it was integrated into “a mechanical block” and that it was indeed the entire block that would have to be changed. This famous assembly is attached to each of the four “bogies” that make up a train. The “bogie” is not a dance but a cart on which the train is placed and which forms the link with the ground guidance system. They will not be changed in their entirety. Only Jennifer and her friends from the mechanical block will be replaced, i.e. 100 assembly and reassembly operations to be carried out in Rennes.
The question that arises is why poor Jennifer has already given up, less than a year and a half after the line was put into service? And if it will have to be replaced, again and again? “The trains have already traveled 200,000 kilometers. We fully understand the consequences but this can be part of the hazards that an industrialist must face,” assured the project director of Siemens Mobility. By replacing all the mystery parts, the manufacturer buys himself time. While his oars are circulating, he will be able to calmly analyze the reason for this wear.
The community will not pay, Siemens will
The other question burning on the lips of the horde of journalists present was who was going to pay the bill. On this point, Mayor Nathalie Appéré was clear. “The community is not going to take charge of the investment in replacing the equipment”, which should therefore be assumed by Siemens. The metropolis will, however, have to do without ticketing revenue, the Star network being less used in the absence of line B. Even if a good number of users fall back on substitute buses, others have preferred to walk, cycle or take their car back. Everyone is already impatient to see Siemens technicians resolve the problem. “Give me time,” Jennifer replies.