This Monday, RER A users experienced a dark day, marked by a total interruption of traffic between the Nation and Charles de Gaulle-Etoile stations, located in inner Paris.
The cause of this incident was a torn catenary at the Auber station, which caused a major water leak by damaging a pipe. Trains were only able to resume running after 8 p.m., leaving thousands of travelers without solutions for a large part of the day.
Disturbances at dawn
From 5:45 a.m., traffic was completely interrupted between the east and west of Paris, affecting not only this portion, but also the entire RER line A, one of the busiest on the network with an average of 1 .2 million travelers per day. The resumption, initially scheduled for 8 a.m., was postponed several times during the day before finally taking place in the evening.
Faced with this exceptional situation, RATP has deployed more than 200 agents to direct travelers towards alternative routes. Metro lines 1 and 14 have been reinforced, as have journeys via the RER E or connections from La Défense. Despite these efforts, the quickly saturated substitution stations and escalators illustrated the extent of the difficulties.
Complex technical intervention and exhausted users
According to RATP, the removal of the catenary required a massive mobilization of technical and security teams, in particular to control the water leak and secure the area before any resumption of traffic. In total, more than a hundred technicians worked all day to resolve the incident.
For travelers, this day was synonymous with disorganization and frustration. With trains canceled, journeys lengthened, and crowded stations, the alternatives proposed by the RATP struggled to respond to the massive influx. “A real hassle,” reported many users exasperated by the lack of quick solutions to the daily Le Parisien.
