What was to take place on December 15 will ultimately happen on January 22, that is Wednesday. The long-announced full deployment of the Léman Express should finally be effective, after having been postponed for more than five weeks due to a strike of unprecedented length in France. Geneva mobility officials took stock of the press on Monday morning.
The social movement relating to pension reform severely cut the new network during these first weeks of existence. The service was initially confined to the Swiss section and to Annemasse.
Two lines to release
It was only last Thursday that the first trains took over the whole of line 1 of the network, from Coppet to Évian. This novelty which has sown in its wake the confusion on the network, with multiple delays and deletions of trains.
Next Wednesday, lines 2 and 3 (serving Annecy and Le-Fayet-Saint-Gervais respectively) should also be launched. This could reveal new concerns, knowing that these are sections whose equipment is less efficient than that of the Chablais line. Confirmation of this double launch, which would fully complement the Léman Express, is expected this Tuesday from 5 p.m.
Satisfaction displayed
Even incomplete, the new network has already impressed its world. “We do not yet have a precise picture of a situation at cruising speed, but we can sense trends that make me very optimistic for the future,” summarizes the State Councilor for Infrastructure, Serge Dal Busco. I was struck by the speed with which Genevans understood the Léman Express metro function and changed their habits. We have the feeling that the canton has shrunk, that space has contracted. “
An allusion to the shortened journey times that the train allows. The State is also satisfied with the punctuality and the good connections between the railway and the local service provided by TPG (read opposite).
Director of Lémanis, a joint subsidiary of CFF and SNCF dedicated to the Léman Express, Mario Werren talks about performance exceeding expectations. “We already welcome 25,000 travelers a day and even recorded a peak of more than 30,000 travelers on December 20, while the network was not yet deployed in Haute-Savoie,” reveals the executive. We expected a much more gradual ramp-up. However, as soon as it was put into service, people behaved as if this train had always existed. ”On board, we would meet as many Geneva residents as French. As a reminder, the stated objective over time is to reach daily traffic of 50,000 users.
Too short trains
A “task force” with sprawling ramifications has been created to rectify the shortcomings, that is, what officials prefer to positively call “points under improvement”. Operators still encounter problems with their brand new trains, which are of two distinct types, each country having set its sights on different models.
In some cases, the trains have failed and it is impossible to run double formations during rush hour. Result: crowded convoys, refusing people. Already!
Late signs
“We apologize, we still have concerns to resolve,” admits Mario Werren. If the launch of the two final lines will constitute a new challenge, it will also help to facilitate operations since, for the first time, the Léman Express will run as it was designed, without its managers having to reinvent the wheel every day according to the conflict social in progress.
Among the shortcomings, there is still information on board (in particular repetitive and irritating voice announcements in French trains) or even incomplete signage in stations: already delayed, the delivery of British signs has not been accelerated by the French conflicts. Other adjustments are planned to improve access to stations by soft mobility.
Created: 20.01.2020, 14h56
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