Valérie Pécresse, president of the region and of Île-de-France Mobilités, announced that starting in June, in case of a passenger falling ill, metro drivers may leave without waiting for the arrival of emergency services at the platform.
Published on 27/02/2024 at 23:52
A crowded Parisian metro platform during rush hour. (illustration photo)
“The goal is to give RATP the means to improve the regularity of its lines before the Olympic and Paralympic Games,” explains Grégoire de Lasteyrie, vice-president of Île-de-France Mobilités, on franceinfo on Tuesday, February 27, following Valérie Pécresse’s announcements.
Valérie Pécresse, also president of the Île-de-France region, stated that starting in June, metro drivers will no longer have to wait for emergency services at the platform in case of a passenger falling ill. Trained and willing staff will be able to move the victim to the platform themselves and leave without waiting to ensure other passengers reach their destination. “In 2023, passenger illnesses caused a total of 217 hours of service interruption on all metro lines,” says Grégoire de Lasteyrie. The training for staff will take place in the coming months so that the measure can be implemented from June onwards.
Assurances to employees
Jean-Christophe Delprat, delegate of FO-RATP, the largest union within the Parisian transport authority, criticizes this announcement, especially fearing possible “legal consequences if the victim’s relatives decide to press charges in case of death or other incidents. It will not be Ms. Pécresse, not the emergency services, nor the RATP management who will assume this responsibility before the courts.” “All this will be done in a planned framework, in connection with the emergency services, so that in certain situations, the movement of the victim can be allowed. But not in all cases,” responds Grégoire de Lasteyrie.
Additionally, Valérie Pécresse announced that canine units will be recruited “to sniff out abandoned packages and determine their potential danger within fifteen minutes.” “We will work with the Minister of the Interior to identify scenarios where we could ease security constraints,” such as stopping circulation preventively until the threat is eliminated, explains Grégoire de Lasteyrie.
