Will the Grenoble metrocable, an old sea serpent, really see the light of day? The urban cable car project, which has already experienced several twists and turns, has just suffered a new setback which leaves the Grenoble metropolis in suspense.
Launched in a first version in 2012 by the former president of the Grenoble metropolis, Marc Baïetto, the idea of connecting the neighboring municipalities to the East and West of Grenoble to the Scientific Presqu’île had already undergone a series setback, concerning among other things its route, which initially provided for a service to the top of the Vercors plateau, with a view to encouraging commuting travel.
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After a series of oppositions from local residents and environmental associations, the new version of the Grenoble metrocable will finally have opted for an essentially urban route: with the stated objective of connecting one of the branches of the Grenoble Y , included between the municipalities of Fontaine and Saint-Martin-le-Vinoux, by flying over natural and urban obstacles such as the A480 tracks as well as the two banks of the Drac. All this by connecting the Grenoble Peninsula, which hosts the scientific campus and its 10,000 researchers, as well as a new residential eco-district and a tram line.
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This project would thus include 23 pylons over 3.5 km long, for six stops served (including two only “technical” stops) and a service between 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., integrated directly into the metropolitan public transport network, managed by the Grenobloise Area Mixed Mobility Union (SMMAG). With the key, a price “ integrated » and an estimated passage frequency of every 73 seconds.
The hammer blow of the public inquiry
It is this new copy which was presented during the vote of the Grenoble Metropolis Public Transport Union (SMMAG) in February 2020, in order to ratify the choice of the operator Poma to ensure the work and operation of the future metrocable. But now the project is directly called into question. In fact, the public inquiry, carried out from November 6 to December 21, 2023, resulted in a majority unfavorable opinion of the commission of inquiry, concerning not only the declaration of public utility, but also on environmental authorizations.
Among the criticisms of the commission of inquiry: the lack of consensus around the project, in particular among the municipalities concerned (the elected representatives of Sassenage have been opposed to it from the start, the City of Grenoble, initially favorable, has changed its mind) . “ How could such a non-consensual project, presented as structuring for public transport in the north-west sector of the city, reach the public inquiry stage in its current state? », asks the report.
Other criticisms: a project “ built on false assumptions,” the Portes du Vercors ZAC having been abandoned, with, as a result, uncertain attendance.
The report also highlights a “ complex and expensive route. The latter, very winding, would increase the energy consumption of a mode of transport (the monocable) which is already relatively energy-intensive – in any case, more than a tram. “ The planned project cannot thus be described as carbon-free. », decides the commission of inquiry. Finally, last remark: she believes that alternative solutions have not been sufficiently studied.
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An opinion which did not fail to provoke a reaction from the president of Grenoble Alpes Métropole, Christophe Ferrari. On March 27, the day after the publication of the report, he estimated in a press release that this was “ clearly [d’] a bad blow for the territory and its inhabitants “. Along the way, he messes with the procedure, “ a form of aberration and a time of the paper longer than that of the works » and adds: “I sometimes have the feeling that the obligatory administrative procedures and regulations are going backwards or at least not right. The democratic and environmental requirement, the requirement for good management of public funds, would in my opinion require that this type of opinion arrive much earlier in the life of a project. Let’s save time! »
The SMMAG, contacted by La Tribune, for its part, refuses to comment for the moment. “ We have a 300-page file to analyze, it takes time before deciding what action to take. Nothing says that the project will not be relaunched, for the moment, no decision has yet been made. “. The Union announces statements in the second half of May.
“ It’s time to look at alternatives”
On the side of the opponents of the Métrocable, on the contrary, we relish the report of the commission of inquiry. “ The investigating commissioners confirm what we have been striving to demonstrate for three years now », Welcomes the Stop Metrocable collective on its Facebook page. “ It’s time to look at alternatives now », he continues.
In a press release, the Association for the Development of Public Transport (ADTC) “ welcomes the conclusions of the commission of inquiry “.
The association, which advocates the development of public transport and active modes, has spoken out against the project since 2015. It is now calling for its abandonment and the establishment of discussions around other solutions to improve service to the Presqu island: creation of bus corridors, reinforcement of buses, extension of trams A and E, new footbridges and cycle paths for bicycles, etc.
“We really need it,” says MEDEF
In an open letter, stakeholders from the Grenoble economic world, at the initiative of the Medef of Isère and the CCI of Grenoble, expressed their support for the Métrocâble project, which “ with the aim of opening up the Grenoble peninsula, the engine of activity for the growing urban area “. The signatories therefore call on the elected officials “ to study in detail the conclusions of the commission of inquiry, and to continue this structuring project for the Grenoble area “.
“ We hope that the prefect, who decides, will have other conclusions,” complete Sophie Sidos, president of Medef de l’Isère, contacted by La Tribune.
“ I hope he will take the economic world into account. We really need this project to open up the Peninsula, for the attractiveness of businesses. The sector is intended to accommodate several thousand additional people, within a constrained road infrastructure framework. The only way to get around this constraint is cable transport. »
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Poma, a local company selected in 2020 to build the Métrocable, also hopes that the project will see the light of day.
“I believe in our territory, in the people who live in the territory, think about their future. In my opinion, the territory will react,” declared Fabien Felli, president of the group, interviewed by our colleagues from Dauphiné Libéré. “This opinion totally surprises me, he also specifies. We are on a public interest project. We see that the cable meets soft mobility needs all over the world. I am very surprised by the reaction and the observation. This is an opinion from people who are not experts. »
Contacted by La Tribune also, the Poma company did not respond to our requests for exchanges.
A budget and schedule postponed several times
On the budget side, the file has continued to evolve: while the version studied in 2016 provided for a budget of between 54 million euros and 60 million euros. depending on the options », the amount retained in February 2020 when the call for tenders was awarded to the Isère company Poma finally stood at 57 million euros… before being revised to 64.56 million euros excluding tax, in the file submitted by the SMMAG at the time of the public inquiry.
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On the commissioning side too, things are changing. Initially for 2023, it was postponed to 2024, due to Covid. A timetable already understood. In its press kit, Poma now mentions a landing in 2025.
But with the unfavorable opinion which has just been issued by the commission of inquiry, it is the very construction of this metrocable which could now be called into question. The prefect of Isère should make a decision soon, after in-depth study of the file.
What about abandoning the project?
In the event of abandonment, a financial question arises. According to Christophe Ferrari, several million euros have already been spent. And the market already awarded to the Isère company Poma. If the prefect decides not to give the green light for the project, the latter could be able to request compensation.
“ In this case, it is generally a termination of the market for reasons of general interest, explains Louis le Foyer de Costil, lawyer in public procurement law, contacted by La Tribune. The company must be compensated for the services already provided, to which is added its margin – or an amount fixed within the framework of the market. »
Knowing that the market can be divided into sections, with options to be exercised, which then limit the sponsor’s commitment to the aspects of the project already underway. But whatever happens, the operation will not be neutral for the Grenoble territory.
