Interview. Toulouse. Jean-Luc Moudenc, on the RER: “I am not against a project that does not exist”
By Gabriel Kenedi
Published on
After Emmanuel Macron’s surprise announcementwho promised the creation of a network of RER in 10 cities in order to promote the daily train, the mayor (ex-LR) of Toulouse considers that this presidential promise must “involve the State’s participation in the financing of all our projects: whether it is the metropolitan RER, the tramway, the metro, the bus and the cycle network”. Jean-Luc Moudenc also tackles his opponents who ask him to change his mind on the Toulouse RER: “The projects, we do them from studies, documents, estimates, routes, traffic evaluations” but “not with positions of principle,” he explains. Interview.
On Macron’s announcements: “No one expected it! »
News: What is your reaction to Emmanuel Macron’s surprise announcement about the creation of an RER network in 10 major metropolitan cities?
Jean-Luc Moudenc: “I don’t think anyone expected it, actually. The good thing is that the state and the government are interested in metropolises… That’s good news! Usually, we hear about only rural areas, small towns, etc. The second thing, which is good, is that the President of the Republic is addressing a subject that is at the heart of the concerns of the inhabitants of large cities and metropolises, that is to say mobility. It does so with this RER proposal, but what I hope is that this foreshadows renewed and accentuated action by the State alongside our communities on all our public transport projects, and not only the RER. We have metro, tram, bus, cycle network projects and when you add up the number of users concerned by the four means of transport that I have just mentioned, they are far greater than the number of people using an RER. I therefore hope for a stronger re-involvement of the State in all our projects. s investments in public transport, which are major levers of the ecological transition that must be accentuated in our large cities”.
We hear a lot of mayors or presidents of the Republic standing as “candidates” following the proposal of the President of the Republic. How is this going to happen in Toulouse, knowing that there is already a project for a 3rd metro line which is well advanced?
JL M.: “We will start work on the third metro line in a few weeks. Moreover, this third line, it is important to say, will make a significant contribution to the development of the train. Even more than for the first and second line, the third line will have strong connections with the rail network. No less than five stations on the 3rd line will be connected to the rail network. This is our contribution to the development of local trains. And with the Métropole, we are committed in a project which will start soon: the railway developments in the north of Toulouse (AFNT), which are the first stage of the LGV. However, the ANFTs will make it possible to desaturate the railway node of the Toulouse conurbation and allow the Region to further develop local trains, which we call TER or RER. Today, there is a certain saturation of the network and we know very well that thanks to these investments, this saturation will be able to step back. This will therefore be our second contribution to the financing of local trains”.
“Not a single penny” from the Métropole and Tisséo for the RER
In your opinion, is it possible to finance the 3rd metro line, the LGV and the RER in Toulouse at the same time?
JL M.: “What is possible is to finance the third metro line and the LGV at the same time. We are committed and we have financing plans that are documented. On the other hand, I have always said that I oppose that the Métropole or Tisséo towards a single penny for a metropolitan RER project which, in my opinion, falls within regional competence.
The good news of the day is that the announcement of the Head of State may give hope, otherwise it would have no interest, a financial involvement of the State. This means that there would be a financial partner so that the Regions are not alone in the round table. This is good news… if ever it’s confirmed! It would be a great disappointment if the enthusiastic declaration of the president followed by the Republic was not a concretization. The State committed a few years ago to investments of 13 billion in structuring transport and it is moreover in this respect that we receive 200 million euros for the third metro line. Obviously, the Head of State’s announcement should make it possible to increase this envelope and develop the projects he has called for. Otherwise, there’s no point!”
On the RER, your opponents invite you to change your mind. How do you answer them?
JL M.: “To change your mind, what does that mean?”
“I am not against a project that does not exist”
They imply that you are against the RER in Toulouse… Is this the case?
JL M.: “No. I am not against a project that does not exist. The reality is that for the RER, we need to know what the project is and what routes are concerned. It is still better to ensure that it corresponds to journeys made by a certain number of our fellow citizens, otherwise it would not be a socially useful project. We need to know how much it costs in investment. We need to know how much it costs in operation. We needs to know what is called induction: that is to say the number of passengers that we can expect. We need to know what the ecological impact is: what volumes of greenhouse gases we would avoid rejection. There are studies that have been conducted by the Region under cover of the State. We call that: “multimodal studies on the railway star”. I therefore ask for the publication of these studies in order to talk about concrete things! Because what worries me in this debate, and the position of my opponents is very significant icative is that this is a very political debate. There are very political positions, positions of principle. But in life, that’s not how you make plans. Projects, on the facts from studies, documents, estimates, routes, traffic evaluations. I therefore ask for the publication of these studies so that we get to the bottom of the subject, to know if this project is feasible or not and if it is feasible, under what conditions is it, is it it is useful, moderately useful, not very useful… We need to objectify this idea! I am not on positions of principle as opponents! Or, it’s about concrete achievements to improve people’s lives. And we don’t improve people’s lives with positions of principle but with projects and concrete achievements. This is what is missing from this debate on the Toulouse metropolitan RER.
“We must pull all the levers”
While an additional cost has been announced for the 3rd metro line project, do you therefore expect the State, through Emmanuel Macron’s announcements, to participate more in the project from a financial point of view?
JL M.: “Yes, that’s kind of what I’m hoping for! But not just on the third metro line. The interest of the presidential speech is to pay attention to metropolises and the mobility problems they make up. So from there, for this word to have an extension and a concretization, it must involve a participation of the State in the financing of our projects: whether it is the metropolitan RER, the tramway, the metro, the bus and the cycle network We know that to decarbonize mobility in our metropolises, we must not play on a single segment. We need several levers, and for it to be effective, we must activate them all!”
As the Low Emission Zone (ZFE) will become more and more restrictive, is it all the more important to offer alternatives to the car?
JL M.: “Yes, I think that the EPZs, which are imposed on us by the State for good reasons, that is to say for reasons of public health and limitation of polluting emissions into the atmosphere which cause the respiratory tract, must generate the development of all alternative modes of transport to the car. For months, it goes together”.
A meeting between all the actors? “I wish it”
Regarding the Toulouse RER, a meeting between all the institutional players should be held in December. Is this actually the case?
JL M.: “I want it. We adopted a wish in the public metropolitan council saying that we must establish a dialogue between all the authorities: the State, the Region, the Department – which expressed itself with great enthusiasm on the metropolitan RER and which therefore, I hope, will also give concrete expression to its word through financial participation – the Métropole and Tisséo. I therefore hope that there will be this consultation meeting to share information and that our projects be implemented in relation to each other”.
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