Toulouse. Weaknesses on the welds of the pylons: should we worry about the cable car?
Through Thibaut Calatayud
Published on
Is there a problem with the Teleo ? Thursday, November 18, 2021, Woven organized a press point on the construction site of the future Paul-Sabatier University station. The opportunity to take stock of the progress of the tests and the numerous checks carried out on the installations of the future cable car of Toulouse, especially on welds who more problem …
A welding problem on several pylons
THE’Welding Institute, an independent group responsible for carrying out safety checks, uncovered weaknesses on joints fitted to several pylons. Philippe Laville, the group’s project director POMA for the Toulouse cable car, give details of the location of these weaknesses:
“The pylons are made in sections which are bolted together. The plates which allow this bolting are welded. It is to the right of these plates (perpendicular, editor’s note) that the removal of doubt takes place”.
“Nothing that calls into question the cable car”
So, should we be alarmed by such a discovery? No according to Jean-François Lacroux, the general manager of Tisséo Ingénierie, who concedes all the same that the find can be “a source of concern for the uninitiated”.
“When we read the reports, we see that a certain number of elements have been underlined. They are under review with the company, but there is nothing to worry about in the proceedings initiated today. This does not call into question the commissioning and the very design of this installation ”, he wants to reassure.
“On all construction sites, on an independent technical control process. Technical controllers issue reservations and points to be resolved. It is not something abnormal. On the contrary, for us, it is the continuity of the operation. It is reassuring that they have questions to formulate, it shows that they go to the end of the checks ”, also underlines Vincent Conan, project manager at Tisséo Ingénierie.
A problem already solved?
For his part, Philippe Laville ensures that we can qualify this discovery as “non-event in the days and weeks to come”. Especially since, according to the manufacturer, the problem has just been resolved.
It remains to convince the Institut de Soudure. For this, a new exchange is planned in the coming days. “It will be the subject of the issuance of a final report which will be passed to the technical inspector and, upstream again, to the approved qualified body (OQA, responsible for issuing a general opinion on the safety of the He is independent and intervenes throughout the phases of the project: from design to inauguration, editor’s note) ”, Adds Philippe Laville.
Inauguration expected for the first half of 2022
According to Tisséo and POMA, this episode should not impact the date of entry into service of Téléo which had already been postponed a few weeks ago. While it should be by the end of 2021, the future Toulouse urban cable car will not be operational before the end of the year. first semester 2022.
If all goes well until the end of the work, the dry run phase should start from March 21, for a period of one month. “We will not compromise on security. If during the checks that will continue, we should have points of attention and alert, we could readjust the schedule. We will have a more certain vision at the start of 2022, when most of the tests will take place, ”warns Jean-François Lacroux.
It will then be necessary to wait for the authorization of the prefect of Haute-Garonne to see the first travelers board the Téléo.
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