Pontchรขteau โขTrainโ Station Ticket Office Closed forโ Radon Mitigation, Reopening Date โขUncertain
Pontchรขteau, Loire-Atlantique – the ticketโข office at Pontchรขteau train โฃstation is temporarily closed as SNCF Gares & Connexions addresses elevated โคlevels of radon, a naturally occurring radioactive gas, within the station building. The closure,โ which began recently, has sparked concerns โfrom the CGT railway union about theโ potential for permanent closure of theโ ticket office, following a previousโข alert inโข November 2021.
Radon is present in the soil โคof the Pontchรขtelain region and can accumulate in basements and enclosed spaces.SNCF initiated assessments of radon concentration levels in its buildings, and testing at the Pontchรขteau station prompted the temporary closure โofโค the ticketโค counter.
“Exposure thresholds areโฃ reducedโค as they are โpassing through and in transit,” explained a โCGT โฃrailway worker, whoโฃ expressed frustration that the issue wasn’tโ anticipated. “Closing temporarily without having an end date โfor the work is not a good signโฆ Theโฃ scale of this work and itsโ costsโฃ should โคnot be a pretext for closing the Pontchรขteau station ticket office permanently,” theโ union representative added.
SNCF Gares & Connexions plans โคto implement ventilation improvements during the first โhalf of December to mitigate the radon โฃlevels.โ While an internet user posting on the Useful Pontchรขteau Facebook page indicated a scheduled completionโฃ date of December 22, 2025, SNCFโข has neither confirmed nor refuted this date.
“That no plans for permanent โคclosure or modification of the organization or schedules for Pontchรขteau station are inโฃ progress,” SNCF stated.
The CGT โขunion is hosting a webinar onโ Tuesday, November 25 at 6:30 โp.m. toโฃ educate the public about radon and โขits health implications. โFree radon measuring kits will be provided to webinar attendees. โขRegistration is available via email at [emailย protected].