Valérie Pécresse believes that there are still “efforts to be made by the operator”

Officially launched last December, the T12 tram line is facing significant punctuality delays. While the situation is about to improve, the president of Île-de-France Mobilités, Valérie Pécresse, believes that efforts still “need to be made by the operator”.

Improvement on the T12 line? Valérie Pécresse, the president of Île-de-France Mobilités, was visiting the T12 tramway line in the Paris region this Wednesday, September 4, in the morning. And for good reason, since its launch last December, it has encountered numerous punctuality difficulties.

One of the reasons pointed out is that of the recruitment of drivers. However, today, the organization managing transport in the Paris region is assuring us that the resolution of the problem is progressing.

Transkéo, the operator of the T12, has now recruited 50 tram drivers out of the 55 needed, compared to 36 in December when it opened. It should be noted that some are still in training. Training, moreover, lasts nine months.

Valérie Pécresse explained from the Évry-Courcouronnes station that it was necessary to “retain” these drivers: in other words, improve their pay so that they do not leave for the competition.

Another problem is the reliability of the 25 Alstom trains that run on the line. They are new and the last ones were delivered five months ago, but the operator has to deal with technical problems that can occur.

Compensation for users

On the T12, the promise is a tram every ten minutes during rush hour and 15 minutes during off-peak hours.

Valérie Pécresse assured this Wednesday that there is “better regularity” but that “efforts still need to be made by the operator”.

For its part, the communist opposition in the Île-de-France region denounces the numerous tramway cancellations, from 5 to 20% per day according to them. This Wednesday afternoon for example, two connections were partially cancelled.

Faced with this poor management, the operator Transkéo, jointly owned by SNCF Voyageurs and Keolis, lost operation of the line to a subsidiary of RATP by 2026.

Good news for users of the T12 line who will be compensated because the line has experienced difficulties with at least three months where punctuality targets were not met. However, compensation will not be paid before March 2025, a decision once again regretted by opposition elected officials.