The debate around the T11 tram-train project ignites in this Val-d'Oise town

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It was the 35^e item on the agenda of the last municipal council in Argenteuil (Val-d'Oise) on 1^is October: a motion of support for the western extension of T11.

The T11 is the tram-train, which we called before the Tangential North, and that the City of Argenteuil has been waiting for years. The first section was put into service in 2017 between Épinay-sur-Seine station and Le Bourget station, in Seine-Saint-Denis.

28 km, 14 stations, 250,000 travelers per day

Ultimately, it should connect, over 28 km, the Sartrouville station (Yvelines) to that of Noisy-le-Sec, serving 14 stations, including two in the town of Argenteuil. A project which was not included in the last 2023-2027 State-Region plan contract.

This unfinished line only carries 25% of the travelers announced by Île-de-France Mobilités for the entire project, or 50 to 60,000 travelers out of the 250,000/day expected.

This achievement is “essential”

For the City, this achievement is “indispensable” because it will provide access to “large regional employment centers, in particular Plaine Saint-Denis, Le Bourget, Roissy and Cergy-Pontoise”, explained Jean-François Ploteau, deputy to the Mayor Delegate for Transport.

A motion which sparked debate. Omar Slaouti, opposition elected official (Dvg) indicated

“that obviously we will vote for it, because we have been defending this for a long time and it has implications for all Argenteuil residents. But what we didn't understand was this famous metro line 19 by 2046 that Valérie Pécresse sold as much as she could. I don't know if it's an opportunistic posture as the municipal elections approach, to vote for something one day and against it the next, but it lacks continuity. We no longer expect anything from your clarifications. »

Marine Chailloux (Eelv) immediately attacked the majority. “It’s 9:38 p.m., we’ve been here for 3 hours and 38 minutes and it’s point 35… Why not put such an important subject at the start of the council? We have been asking you for this text of support for months, even years. Who are we kidding? » Before denouncing “the hypocritical behavior” of the majority.

“10 years late”

“This is not what we can call frank and clear support for T11. You waited for the Region to vote on its Sdrif to then affirm that you are for T11. It's too late! It was decided two weeks ago in the Region where T11 was not listed as a priority on its planning contract. And that is because you have not acted to push this issue, you and France-Lise Valier, regional councilor (editor's note, and deputy mayor). We will therefore have to wait for the next Sdrif. It's a shame, we missed another train. It's ten years late. This is unacceptable. »

And the elected official emphasized that the environmental group in the Region had tabled an amendment “to make T11 a priority, which the right-wing majority refused to do, effectively burying the T11 project”. Before announcing that she and her group would still vote for this text.

For Xavier Morin, elected from another opposition group (Dvg), this proposed motion “which comes under pressure, is poorly prepared and poorly defended, at the end of the council. Between a project worth 800 million and a project for an underground metro line 19, which would cost more than 20 billion with a horizon of at least 2040, the choice is quickly made, it is T11 that we must take. I can't understand. When we see France-Lise Valier's attitude to the Region of not defending Argenteuil, to be in the wheel and follow the Grand Paris Express and line 19, it's a real shame and it raises questions. We are still waiting for his explanations to hear his vision of transport, for Argenteuil and the surrounding towns, at the Île-de-France Regional Council.”

The majority did not intervene following these speeches. The text, put to the vote, was nevertheless adopted unanimously.

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