Posted on Nov 4, 2021, 2:58 PMUpdated Nov 4, 2021, 2:59 PM
Ile-de-France elected officials are getting impatient. After the Paris Est Marne et Bois intercommunality, in the Val de Marne, it is the turn of elected officials from Montreuil (Seine-Saint-Denis) to mobilize to maintain the project to extend line 1 of the metro. On October 29, they unanimously voted on a motion calling for a public inquiry before the end of the year and meeting deadlines.
A project deemed too expensive
This line, which extends from La Défense stations to Château de Vincennes, crossing Paris, should be extended to Val-de-Fontenay (Val-de-Marne). The project includes the construction of a new station in the Bel-Air – Grands Pêchers district in Montreuil. A public inquiry for the final validation of the project was to be launched at the end of the year. However, the General Secretariat for Investment (SGPI), a body placed under the authority of the Prime Minister, issued an unfavorable opinion in July on the project, estimating that its cost (more than 1.2 billion euros) is too high compared to the benefits of the extension.
What arouse strong fears among elected officials, especially since the project is currently at a standstill. With the Ile-de-France region which should finance around 70% of infrastructure works, the State is supposed to be one of the main funders of the works with a contribution of 30%. The departments and the agglomerations do not put their hand in the pocket only at the margin. The disavowal of the SGPI therefore raises fears of a disengagement of the State.
Less profitable projects already accepted
“This extension is very important for Montreuil because the districts of Haut Montreuil and Bel-Air – Grands Pêchers are white zones, without heavy public transport nearby, explains Patrice Bessac, mayor of the city. In addition, the new station will allow a real economic boom thanks to the establishment of new businesses. “
The city council considers that the argument of the cost of the project is absurd. Indeed, Ile-de-France Mobilités (IDFM), the project owner with RATP, confirms that many projects with a much lower number of users / investment cost ratio have been validated in the past.
The public establishment has also estimated that 95,000 travelers could take the only extension of the line every day, and maintains that the coming years will see a continuous increase in the number of public transport users in Ile-de-France.
Demonstration on November 20
“I think this hides an administrative muddle and a need to delay funding. But by dint of delaying over and over again, you end up never doing anything! »Asserts Patrice Bessac.
The mayor of Montreuil therefore announces the holding of a demonstration on November 20, with the elected officials of Fontenay-sous-Bois “and, I hope, other communities”. If it is not enough to obtain a firm commitment from the State, it does not exclude the holding of a second demonstration, “with the hundred or so elected officials concerned by the project” to request an audience with the Prime Minister. “This is only a first act, and there will be others” launches Patrice Bessac.
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