French Connections - Olympics
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Transcript
00:00 (upbeat music)
00:03 - It's time now for French Connections,
00:04 our weekly look at the intricacies of life here in France
00:07 with Solange Mougin.
00:08 Hi Solange. - Hi Kini.
00:09 - Today you are focusing on the Paris transportation system
00:12 with the big question being,
00:13 will it be ready for the Summer Olympics?
00:15 - Yeah, and that is really the big question at the moment.
00:18 When Paris won its bid to host the Olympics in 2017,
00:22 it vowed that all of the spectators
00:24 would be able to reach the event on public transport.
00:27 And this was a way to distinguish itself
00:29 from other previous games,
00:30 while as well keeping the carbon footprint of the games down.
00:34 Now the question currently is
00:36 how well that transportation will work.
00:38 Now another promise that is likely to be kept
00:41 is the Line 14.
00:42 Automated, it doesn't run the risk of ill
00:45 or even striking drivers,
00:47 and the transportation minister,
00:49 well, he's vowed that the extended line
00:51 will be ready on time.
00:53 (speaking in foreign language)
00:58 (speaking in foreign language)
01:02 - Solange, in the meantime,
01:06 there is this race to get everything done on time
01:08 for the Olympics,
01:09 but will it be able to handle the number of visitors
01:12 who will be here this summer?
01:13 - Well, Paris expects an additional one million tourists,
01:16 bringing the number of travelers on mass transit
01:20 to 10 million people.
01:22 But the challenge will be that thousands
01:24 will be headed to the same place at the same time.
01:27 (speaking in foreign language)
01:31 - Now to prevent bottlenecks,
01:40 which Parisians know well when lines go down,
01:44 certain stations will actually be closed
01:46 and the operator, the RATP,
01:48 well, they will increase frequency by 15%.
01:51 They will also have 19,000 workers on call.
01:56 Many will be equipped with a translation app.
01:58 There will also be a minute-by-minute traffic app
02:01 that people can use.
02:02 Now, the operator, RATP, has actually doubled its hire
02:07 in 2023 to meet the needs that they think they'll have.
02:10 - Okay, so a lot of promises.
02:12 Are there any promises that have been broken already?
02:15 - Well, initially, there were supposed to be
02:17 four new metro lines.
02:18 They will not be ready in time,
02:21 and that means travelers from the Charles de Gaulle Airport,
02:24 the main international airport,
02:25 well, they'll need to use the RERB line,
02:28 which is widely seen as, to use Kerstex's words,
02:32 a point noir or a trouble spot,
02:34 which, and that trouble spot,
02:36 it's thought will not be fixed until at least 2030.
02:41 Now, another promise that went out the window
02:43 was free transport for ticket holders like in London.
02:47 - All right, let's talk money for a moment.
02:48 How much, then, are all of these tickets
02:50 going to cost during the Games?
02:52 - Well, from July 20th to September 8th,
02:54 a single metro ticket will no longer cost
02:57 the 2 euros and 10 cents,
02:59 but it will cost instead 4 euros per single ticket.
03:03 There will also be an unlimited fare for one single day
03:07 of 16 euros, as well as a 70-euro offer
03:10 for a week of travel.
03:12 Now, the regional president, Valérie Pécresse,
03:15 explained why there needs, she feels, to be an increase.
03:19 - It will cost us 200 million more.
03:22 I divided those 200 million by the number of visitors
03:25 we expect, and that's how we found the right price.
03:28 - But for a lot of Parisians and tourists as well,
03:31 these temporary fare hikes, well, they seem unfair.
03:34 Some are even stocking up already on cheaper tickets.
03:38 - I'm going to charge three rows of 10 tickets.
03:41 And that's what I'm going to do every month
03:42 to make sure I have tickets in advance.
03:44 - It's for sure unfair for the tourists.
03:46 We are visiting, bringing money.
03:47 I don't think it's correct.
03:49 If all the metros work, if the elevators work,
03:54 for people with limited mobility,
03:56 all the services that must involve 4 euros,
03:58 if everything works, well, but I doubt it.
04:00 - Solange, there's been a lot of political bickering
04:03 about the city's readiness, the transport system's readiness,
04:06 with a lot of disagreement about whether or not
04:08 it'll actually be good to go.
04:10 - Yeah, there's been a lot of ping-ponging
04:12 of political blame and a lot of concern of late,
04:16 because as most Parisians can tell you,
04:19 the service is not always up to par.
04:21 - How many tickets do you let pass?
04:23 - At least three or four, I think.
04:25 Especially now, you see, there are a few minutes,
04:27 but they're full anyway.
04:28 This one, we don't fuck, we don't fuck.
04:30 - During the Olympic Games,
04:32 they think we won't even be able to work.
04:34 - Now, there have been a number of red flags
04:36 among politicians with issues,
04:38 with the issue being sort of a hot potato
04:40 between the state, the region, and the operator RATP,
04:44 which all these three need to work together
04:46 to get this done.
04:48 The Transportation Minister, Clément Beaune,
04:50 said commuting is going to be hardcore,
04:54 but has since seemed rather optimistic.
04:56 The Paris mayor, Anne Hidalgo,
04:58 well, she created backlash when she said
05:01 that we won't be ready on time.
05:04 And then there's Jean Castex, again,
05:05 former Prime Minister, head of the RATP.
05:07 He blamed the problems on what he called
05:10 a largely obsolete network
05:12 because of a lack of investments,
05:14 including those not done by Valérie Pécresse
05:17 behind me, the head of the region.
05:20 Meanwhile, she blames him and the RATP
05:24 for a lack of drivers.
05:26 - Another big question, of course,
05:27 is if the authorities are gonna be encouraging Parisians
05:30 to just work from home or perhaps even leave the capital
05:33 during the Games.
05:34 - Well, here again, there have been mixed messages.
05:36 In certain areas of Paris,
05:39 especially the very center of Paris,
05:41 security will be tight with QR codes for some.
05:45 Most cars in those areas will be forbidden,
05:49 which has some Parisians grumbling already.
05:51 - It is safe to say that it will not be
06:00 "metro, boulot, dodo" as usual.
06:03 And this is our expression, "expression du jour,"
06:06 referring to the daily grind of commuting,
06:09 working, and then sleeping.
06:12 For sure, the "train, train," or the daily routine,
06:16 is going to be a bit different this summer
06:18 for Parisians and also for tourists.
06:20 - And more expensive, too.
06:22 Solange, we've talked a lot about the challenges.
06:23 Let's end on a positive note.
06:25 Is there one?
06:26 - There is.
06:27 First, Paris' metro system, well, it's actually pretty good.
06:30 Its network is the densest in the world
06:34 with nearly 220 kilometers of tracks,
06:37 so it covers the city well
06:39 and at a relatively regular rate most of the time.
06:43 Nonetheless, how the system flows or does not flow
06:47 during the Olympics is going to be a major challenge
06:50 and reputational test of sorts
06:52 for the nation during the Games.
06:54 - All right, Solange, thank you so much for that update
06:56 on the transportation readiness of Paris
06:58 ahead of the Olympics.
06:59 Thanks so much.
07:00 Don't forget, if you want to watch other French Connections,
07:02 you can always check them out on the website, france24.com,