Next stop, Port de Joinville-le-Pont. Starting this Saturday and for three months, local residents, tourists, and the curious will be able to swap the RER or metro platform for a platform on the banks of the Marne before boarding a water bus. At the initiative of the Paris Est Marne & Bois intercommunality, a river shuttle is back in service between Joinville-le-Pont (Val-de-Marne) and Neuilly-Plaisance (Seine-Saint-Denis).
Between the two stops, it takes 1 hour and 15 minutes to complete the 10 km of the river, known for its guinguettes, sumptuous villas and numerous rowing clubs, the part rather reserved for strolling. On weekdays, between the RER A stop and Polangis, in Champigny-sur-Marne, “it takes 20 minutes”, specifies Dany Carvalho, the president of the Rivercat cooperative, created for the occasion. In total, the line has eleven stops.
A stop at Gégène, a legendary tavern
At this stage, the company has ten crews, namely a captain and a reception agent, who will sail on two boats, Otter, or the otter in Dutch, with a capacity of 100 places and Le Coche d’eau, with 25 places.
The line stops at Chez Gégène, one of the legendary guinguettes that have made the reputation of the banks of the Marne. During the week, the shuttles will go as quickly as possible from one RER station to another while longer rides will be possible for users depending on reservations.
“Our objective is to reconquer the Marne and have daily lines,” explains Olivier Capitanio, the president (LR) of the department who admits to being surprised by people’s enthusiasm. We already have more than 400 registrations on the application to reserve places. » With the approach of the Olympic Games, significant resources have been allocated to make the Marne and the Seine swimmable on sunny days.
A means of transport “that does not clutter the roads”
At the port, after a first trip around Fanac Island, more than a hundred people are already queuing to go on their first trip. “We are local. It’s ideal for getting around if you’re not in too much of a hurry,” says Joseph. His wife Catherine agrees. “It’s a shame that we can’t go to Paris,” she adds. “We could go there in the 1990s if I remember correctly,” replies another local resident. But it wasn’t profitable enough. »
This test, life-size and free for users, will cost “400,000 euros,” explains the president, with more than “200,000 euros in aid from the Metropolis and the State.” The two official boats with biofuels.
“If the results are conclusive, the boats will be electric,” Olivier Capitanio already projects, seeing this as “a more pleasant means of transport that does not clutter the roads.”
