Near Grand Bourgtheroulde, residents revolt against the closure of a level crossing

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Wednesday, December 4, 2024 in the evening, the mayors of Thénouville and Monts du Roumois (Eure) invited the residents of the two municipalities concerned to a public meeting in the Berville multipurpose room. The officials of the sub-prefecture of Bernay, the department of Eure and SNCF Network came to present the project of closure of level crossing no. 20 to the inhabitants. Around fifty people were present to obtain information and provide their often critical perspective on this decision.

Six schoolchildren died in Millas in 2017

Thierry Auger-Gautier, project manager at SNCF, accompanied by Bertrand Renaudon, secretary general of the Bernay sub-prefecture, explained the history of the decision to close the PN20. “It all started from terrible accident of Miles (Pyrénées-Orientales) in 2017, where a school bus collided with a TER, killing six children and injuring 17 others. »

Following this tragedy, a safety diagnosis was carried out in 2018, highlighting the dangerous nature of level crossings 17 and 19 on the Serquigny-Oissel line, for which development work is currently underway. On the same line, PN20, also dangerous, does not allow any development. The track is curved and adjacent road turns cannot be deleted. School buses using the route need too much time to clear the obstacle in the event of a train arriving. “A real-world test was carried out with a school bus on January 17, 2023, confirming the hypotheses of significant risks », Indicates Bertrand Renaudon.

A decided deviation

After consultation meetings with elected officials from Monts-du-Roumois and Thénouville, the sub-prefecture of Bernay, the Normandy region, the SNCF, the owners of agricultural plots and operators, the project to remove PN 20 is validated on March 12, 2024. In April, after favorable opinions from the municipal councils of Thénouville and Monts du Roumois, the suppression of PN20 and the creation of a road between the RD 83 and the RD 88 is recorded, with a left turn at the crossroads of the two roads and the development of the RD88. A soft track, passing under the railway line, will be created, as well as the development of the rural road running alongside this track.

Very unhappy residents

But this decision is far from being accepted by all. Residents of the hamlet of Basville, in Monts-du-Roumois, are protesting against the decision which would lead pedestrians and cyclists to take the D88, a dangerous road, to get to the bus stop. The inhabitants of the hamlet of Froids Vents in Thénouville are extremely unhappy. They did not go to the meeting, preferring to ask one of their own, Jean-Marie Guenier, to represent them: “ The town will be cut in two! » he exclaims. Some frankly refuse the decision, like this resident of Vallots in Thénouville: “We don’t want it! There has never been an accident at PN20 and the journeys would be much longer. »

Philippe Fournier-Montgieux, sub-prefect of Bernay, closed the meeting by stating: “If the principle of removing PN20 is adopted, improvements are always possible and we are all here to listen to you. The goal is to get everyone to buy into the process, through meetings or the public inquiry which will take place in 2025.”

Of the 15,000 existing level crossings in France, only around thirty will be removed in 2025, including six in Normandy.

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