Faced with the heatwave, the president of the Ile-de-France region warns of the risks for transport and details the measures taken to adapt the network and high schools.
The president of the Ile-de-France region, Valérie Pécressewarned this Monday, June 22, of major disruptions to come in Ile-de-France transport, while a heat wave hits the region and 49 departments are placed on red alert. Guest of RTL in the morning, the president of Ile-de-France Mobilités (IDFM), the regulatory authority for transport in the Paris region, warned that the latter will “suffer enormously”.
Transport under tension and a call for teleworking
The reason for this is the fragility of infrastructure in the face of heat: “the rails cannot withstand heat above 50 degrees”, underlined Valérie Pécresse. The RATP and SNCF networks will therefore experience “reductions in supply” which will depend “on climatic conditions, the state of the equipment, the state of the rails”.
Faced with this situation, she recommended to Ile-de-France residents who can “not to travel” and “to telework”. She also invited travelers to check in advance whether their train will run properly, to avoid leaving for nothing, and to consult the map of the 130 water fountains deployed on the network.
The claimed results of an adaptation policy
The regional president was pleased to have made “the turning point in air conditioning in Ile-de-France”. “Ten years ago, the region was led by a left-wing coalition which banned air-conditioned buses. The belief was that air conditioning increased fuel consumption,” she lamented, claiming to have since “bought carbon-free buses and put air conditioning in them”. Another change claimed since his arrival: the purchase of 1,600 new air-conditioned trains. “Ten years ago, when you went to Montereau and Nemours, you were in aluminum cubes.”
Concerning high schools, for which the region is responsible, an investment of one million euros has just been made “so that they can equip themselves with misters and fans” in preparation for the baccalaureate exams. “Establishments will have carte blanche to equip themselves.” Asked about the climate leave proposed by the Environmentalists, Valérie Pécresse, on the other hand, said she was skeptical. “Obviously when there are heatwaves, certain tasks cannot be done. But we must stop the false promises, the country is not going to stop turning. People who exercise essential professions, such as caregivers, will have to be at their posts.”
