Emmanuel Macron wants to develop an RER network in ten metropolises: will Toulouse benefit from it?
By Gabriel Kenedi
Published on
“I totally believe in the train! ». Emmanuel Macron promised, Sunday, November 27, 2022, to create an RER network in “the 10 main French cities”. An announcement made in a video on his Youtube channel, during an exchange with Internet users around ecology.
The RER, a “super objective” for ecology
The President of the Republic, who was recalled “Railwayman’s Grandson”has therefore displayed its ambition to develop “the daily train” across major French cities.
“To fulfill our ecological ambition, I want us to have a great national ambition: in 10 French cities, to develop an RER network. Paris: In the 10 main French cities where there are thrombosis, where there is too much traffic, where travel is complicated, we must adopt a real urban transport strategy, and this is a great objective for ecology, economy, quality of life”.
A surprise announcement
This surprise announcement (where no funding or timetable was mentioned), comes when an amendment to the finance bill, which provided for granting 3 billion euros to the development of the railway, had been withdrawn from the text by the government… at the beginning of November!
In his will to be “disruptor”, Emmanuel Macron has therefore undoubtedly taken many local elected officials and other political leaders by surprise, including within his own government. According to the entourage of the Head of State, quoted by theAFP, it is Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne who will be responsible for leading the major works of this huge project that is coming up. The state will not start from scratch.
More or less advanced projects are currently being developed in several cities in France (Strasbourg, Lille, Bordeaux, Lyon, or even Marseille), while in Toulouse, an RER project has been carried out for several years by the association Let’s turn the star back onwho also launched a great survey in order to promote this mode of transport supposed to accelerate the decarbonization of the metropolis and relieve a little the overloaded roads of the metropolis.
Toulouse should be concerned
A Toulousewhere on still waiting for the LGV (planned for 2032) and where an ambitious third metro line project is carried by the mayor (ex-LR), Jean-Luc Moudenc (the work should start in mid-December, editor’s note), the RER has always been a divisive idea between local elected officials even if “a broad transpartisan consensus has been expressed in recent weeks within institutional actors”, recalls Rallumons l’étoile, which carried a wish for support voted in municipal council by many municipalities and by Toulouse Métropole.
But while the Low Emission Zone (ZFE) came into force in March 2022, it will exclude a large part of the roads in the Toulouse conurbation. 47,000 vehicles deemed too polluting by January 1, 2024. The lines have moved in recent weeks and a consensus seems to have been found around the creation of a first phase of the RER : this initially consisted of relying on the existing network to launch six RER lines running every 30 minutes while setting up a single fare for all users (train, metro, tram, bus, cable car).
A very first meeting must take place in December on the subjects between the various decision-makers on the subject. This could lead to a common position. In any case, this is what Let’s rekindle the star, which is waiting ” first concrete measures from 2024″.
Emmanuel Macron’s surprise announcement obviously constitutes a hell of a boost for the defenders of this urban train.
Toulouse cited among the 10 cities
It’s up to the Toulouse metropolis not to miss the RER train… Will it be part of it? invitation from CMRthe Minister Delegate in charge of Transport, Clement Beauneassured that the list of 10 French metropolises was not yet finalized.
“It’s a great ambition given by the President of the Republic. We need to invest in public transport. It’s a big project for the country, comparable to what was launched for Greater Paris there. about ten years ago, which we are in the process of realizing. As the president said, there is no reason for us to reserve these connections between the districts of the suburbs and the big cities to the region Paris. We want to do it in ten big cities. This will be fine-tuned. There is no list yet. There are projects that have already started. In Strasbourg, there is a very advanced project, supported by the State, the Region, the Metropolis. There are already relatively mature projects, like in Strasbourg but also in Lille, Bordeaux and Toulouse.”
The minister added: You have to specify how much it costs, the routes, the cities which will lend in priority and which will be supported by the State. There is a report which is in progress, by the council of orientation of the infrastructures, delivered by a parliamentarian, with all the political parties which take part. He returns his work before Christmas. We will have more precise information on these metropolitan RERs. At the beginning of the year, under the authority of the Prime Minister, on the definition of timetables and more precise financing. »
First political reactions in Toulouse
What are the first political reactions in Toulouse? Carole Delgathe president (PS) who was calling in an interview at Toulouse News to funding shared between the State and local authorities about the Toulouse RER, was one of the first to speak on Twitter.
“I take the President of the Republic’s announcement as a response to the call from the Presidents of the Regions to UN Rail New Deal “, she approved.
On the same channel, its vice-president (PS) at the Occitanie Region, Nadia Pelefigue (and former candidate in the municipal elections), a regrettable “extreme caution” of the president of Toulouse Métropole (and mayor of Toulouse), Jean-Luc Moudenc who briefly reacted Monday morning on BFM TV.
“Will he finally change his mind? »
” We’ll see if it helps or not. Me, the first elements of studies that I have on Toulouse are not very positive. I am told that it would bring in few passengers, that it would be very expensive to invest, very expensive to operate and we don’t know who will pay. This would reduce greenhouse gas emissions very little, ”revealed Jean-Luc Moudenc.
” Will he finally change his mind? »for her part reacted the opposition municipal councilor (LFI) Agatha Roby, proof that the divisions on this subject are still far from being extinguished. The opposition called in a press release Jean-Luc Moudenc “to come forward very quickly to that Toulouse is part of this list (of the ten metropolises that will benefit from the RER, editor’s note)”.
Last July, the mayor of Toulouse was very critical on this project. “The RER, we wave it like a totem. A kind of dream, a fantasy… But if we look at the entire train network in Occitania, it’s 66,000 passengers per day, when the only line A (of the Toulouse metro, editor’s note), that’s three times as many passengers! “, he launched to Toulouse News.
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