On January 18, the first fire on a train. On February 6, the second fire… A tram, the second in just a few weeks, has experienced a fire whose origin appears to be of the same nature as the previous one. This series of incidents (buses and trams) raises some questions. La Régie Ligne Azur, in turn, claims to have the situation under control.
For Robert Injey, municipal opposition councilor and candidate for elections: “On January 15, reaffirming our desire to succeed in transitioning to Régie, strengthen it, and sustain it, I questioned Christian Estrosi on malfunctions and asked three questions:
Did Christian Estrosi and his many advisors sufficiently anticipate the transition to Régie? Has the Metropolis put all the advantages on its side? Is there a hidden agenda behind these malfunctions to transition to Régie at a reduced standard to better justify a return to private later?
The only response I received was along the lines of “everything is going very well Madame la Marquise, everything is going very well….”.
Everything is going very well except that I reiterate my requests from January 15 and add a new one: it would probably be interesting to look into the actual condition of the equipment at the end of the concession in September 2013. Was an audit conducted at the time?”
A similar statement comes from the UNSA labor union, representative within the passenger transport sector of the metropolis, which highlights the 2 recent fires as well as the 2 “technical” incidents that occurred (Friday 7) with electrical section cuts lasting 20 minutes (waiting on trains) and calls for the application of the precautionary principle and the urgent convening and investigation of the CHSCT.
For UNSA, the situation is not so simple: “While the continuity of public service is one thing, the obligation of safety is another. We are told: there was only material damage! This greatly overlooks the stress of the train drivers who experienced this situation, the stress of the control tower that must manage such an unusual emergency, and it belittles the legitimate questions of users.
The Régie Ligne Azur provides a response to these legitimate concerns and aims to be reassuring:
“The manufacturer ALSTOM and the battery supplier SAFT, the only ones authorized for the maintenance of these elements, have deployed specialized teams in the workshops of the Régie Ligne d’Azur to ensure a check of all the trains in the Lignes d’Azur fleet.
The inspection conducted with the support of the RLA technical teams focuses on the “disconnector” compartment on one hand and the “accessories” compartment on the other. During this operation, 2 trains showing traces of water were dried.
As a preventive measure and to monitor humidity evolution, a product capable of absorbing moisture has been implemented in all trains at the battery level.
Meanwhile, SAFT is working on improving the system with the installation of additional fuses to protect the batteries to cut the power supply.
Pending the implementation of this modification, the battery system of the trains is checked weekly by RLA, ALSTOM, and SAFT teams.
This procedure was presented during an extraordinary meeting of the Health, Safety, and Working Conditions Committee, which met on Monday, February 10, at the request of the Ligne d’Azur Management to review these two accidents.
This action plan was unanimously adopted by the members of the CHSCT, including the trade unions.
In parallel, the supervisory body, the STRMTG (Service Technique des Remontées Mécaniques et des Transports Guidés), which is under the Ministry of Transportation, has taken into account the implementation of this procedure and supports the steps undertaken in liaison with the Prefecture’s services.”
