Hundreds of Paris metro passengers stuck underground after series of mishaps

Issued on: 15/06/2023 – 19:50

Five trains on busy line 4 were stuck from around 6pm local time and had to wait underground between stations. Multiple separate incidents in a short space of time led to the delay, which began due to a signalling issue. Later, at around 6:45pm, a woman got her bag stuck in a door at Cité metro station, triggering an alarm. Some trains were then unable to restart due to technical problems.

At the same time, metro line 13 was blocked between 8:30pm and 10pm due to a computer failure. Passengers were dropped off at the station and asked to change their route. A broken-down train in Seine-Saint-Denis also disrupted traffic on lines B and D of the RER (suburban commuter trains).

Later on Wednesday evening, the entire metro line 13 was stuck from 8:30-10pm due to a computer failure, with passengers able to exit at stations. A broken-down train in the northern suburb of Seine-Saint-Denis also disrupted traffic on the B and D routes of the RER (suburban commuter trains).

“We got stuck in unbearable heat,” Oussama El Cherif, 19, told AFP. After a long wait between two stations, he joined several other passengers to “walk along the rails” to get out.

Some 125 RATP agents were deployed to manage the incident, with passenger evacuations starting around 7:50pm.

Social media users shared footage of passengers crammed inside the carriages and expressing concern about the well-being of babies and the elderly on board.

All the passengers were eventually evacuated, the RATP said, with social media users showing images of them walking through tunnels to the next station.

“The RATP presents its apologies and its deepest regrets for this incident and its consequences for passengers. It is doing everything possible to support them as best it can,” the operator said.

The RATP operator’s chief executive Jean Castex, a former French prime minister, has asked for an internal investigation to determine the causes of this “exceptional incident”.

The iconic Paris metro is one of the oldest urban transit systems in the world, featuring in numerous films.

But users increasingly complain that overcapacity and outdated infrastructure make commuting a daily trauma. The incident also raised a fresh round of concerns over whether the system will be able to cope with the influx of more than 10 million expected visitors for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Modernisation efforts are in progress and the line 4 is being gradually automated to a system without drivers.

President Emmanuel Macron last year chose Castex, who was premier during much of the Covid-19 pandemic and has a reputation as a troubleshooter, as the chief of the RATP with the aim of fixing its problems.

(France 24 with AFP)